The Danger of Life-Likeness...

Spiritual death doesn't always look like you think it would. Physical death is obvious. Spiritual death can be more subtle. I was reminded of this last time I was in the southern US. As you drive throughout the south you can't travel very far without seeing what is in the picture above - Kudzu. Kudzu is a vine that was introduced to the south as a miracle plant in the mid-1900's. It helps to control soil erosion as well as functions as a great high protein food for livestock. What a great idea, eh? Not. What no one knew was that the southern US was the ideal growing climate for Kudzu. The hot humid summers and the mild winters led to what you see in the picture - a vine that covers everything. It's actually kind of cool to look at; a blanket for the forest. Very much alive. But what you may not notice is that the trees underneath it are completely sheltered from the sun. Grade 10 biology reminds us of a little process called photosynthesis - the way in which plants convert sunlight to food. When you drive down the highway, the beautiful kudzu that you see everywhere - so green and full of life - is masking the trees underneath that are dying due to lack of sunlight.

So what does this have to do with my spiritual life? I'm glad you asked. Far too often we think that if we appear spiritually alive we are alive. We are a "seeker" or "a very spiritual person", but often it's only a shallow covering of life that veils a dying soul underneath. Jesus said that about the Pharisees...

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (Jn. 5:39-40)

They were very active in their religion. Society around them would have said they were the spiritual ones. But Jesus says they are missing life because they refuse to come to Him. And that leads them to the point where they are dying spiritually. Jesus tells it like it is...

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." (Mt. 23:27-28)

Spiritual death, like Kudzu, gives the appearance of life. But the truth is that death is going on beneath the surface. More dangerous than death is pseudo-life. The challenge comes in admitting our need. Like men on a vacation, we can't admit that we are lost and need directions. Look deeper than the surface of your life. What is it that is going on underneath?