“He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him.” (Deut. 7:10)
What is hell? Is it a place or state of being to which God consigns the unrepentantly evil? Or is it a condition that we create ourselves in this life when we consistently follow our own wills instead of God’s? A verse from this morning’s Old Testament reading suggests that it is not punishment that awaits us in the future, but something we bring upon ourselves in this life by rejecting God. Mysteries that will only be revealed on the other side of the veil notwithstanding, my experience tells me that hell really is a self-induced state of misery caused by patterns of wrong choices; while it is unquestionably experienced in this life, I have great doubts about whether it gets any worse after this life has ended.
As a former hospital chaplain, I have been with people on their deathbed, many of whom have not led exemplary lives. I am struck by how child-like even the strongest, most willful people become. With the loss of power often comes a sense of resignation and peace. Even the most unloving, grudge-bearing individuals are hungry for words of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Understanding and forgiveness for wrongs committed against them finally take hold and they are able to let go of bitterness. A person who has hurt others will often acknowledge their responsibility, perhaps for the first time, and gain peace as a result. Regardless, as life slips away, anxiety and fear seem to dissipate, with no suggestion that something terrible is about to occur.
How am I rejecting God and creating hell? For what do I need to acknowledge responsibility? What do I need to forgive? How can I love God, my neighbor and myself more fully so that I may live in the kingdom of heaven even now?
Holy God, immerse me in your peace so that all that I think, do or say today may be in harmony with the mind of Christ.
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