Returning Sacred Silent and Stronger

 

            Oliver rolled out of bed that morning, looked at himself in the mirror and was horrified at the extra hundred pounds that hung upon his body that was for the most part void of muscle mass. “Phew, I need to do something different,” he thought, “okay, Oliver, change your diet, exercise every day, and find others who will help you improve yourself.”

               With the approaching weekend, he traveled to the grocery store and made a commitment to himself that he would not buy cheap processed food stuffs, soda, or snacks. “Fruit, vegetables, healthy bread, and everything sugar free,” he thought. As he passed through the check out stand, he was pleased to see that his grocery bill was about half of what it typically was. “Wow, that was a wise move on my part,” he thought as he loaded his groceries into the bags that he brought from home, departed the store, loaded everything into his car and drove home.

               Six months passed by very quickly and he could see a change in himself after each week. “Alright, looking good, Oliver,” he said to himself, “keep this up and you will be stronger, healthier, and feeling better over all.” Having gotten into the routine of baking his own bread, cutting out dessert, and walking at least two miles every day an hour after dinner. “Alright, Oliver, this is your new mantra, come back to a new life where you are healthier, stronger, sacred, and silent.”

               Rising from bed on that particular Saturday, he was thoroughly pleased with his improved health, strength, and loss of weight. “Alright, Oliver, now that you are physically healthier and stronger, now you need to focus on your thoughts, your entertainment, and what things you spend your time thinking about.”  Having moved to a new community with a new set of friends and advisors, he struggled to change his heart, his mind, and his thoughts, in order to be a holy and sacred person. “Your thoughts need to match the things that you say you believe,” he said to himself.

               Oliver spent most of that day thinking about his previous life, who he allowed to influence his thinking, and those from whom he accepted advice and guidance. His mind moved into a place where he began comparing the actions and the words of others around him in his previous life. Now that he had godly, caring, and thoughtful friends, he began observing how they spoke, how they lived, and how they spent their time. “Don’t be a hypocrite, Oliver,” he thought, “you need to put in a great deal of effort to make your thoughts, your interests, and your words match what you say you believe and practice.”

               Two full years passed as he continued to put in great effort at making his actions, his words, and his interests match what he claimed to be and what others thought he was. Now he was a completely different man, with good, right, and holy thoughts and interests, he marveled at how good life had become after so much hard work.

               His greatest struggle was found in training himself not to be judgmental of others, not to condemn others for their bad choices, and to limit his use of time, his use of money, and his concern for others in a way that imitated the godly people over the last twenty centuries. Instead of distracting himself with the silliness, inanity, and emptiness of American culture, he pushed himself to spend his time reading Scripture, reading the lives of the Saints, and praying as often as possible throughout each day.

               Now that so much time had passed, he could see a radical change in his physical form, a change in how he thought about others, and how he used his time and money. Making a concerted effort to positively improve every area of his life, both physically, emotionally, psychologically, and financially, he could not have been any happier with the radical change that had made him into a new and better person.

               “It’s all about self-control, maintaining focus, and spending your money only on those things that are necessary,” he thought. With a focus on goodness, beauty, and truth, he was thrilled at the progress that was being made, now that he had good, godly, and helpful friends, he began creating a list of people, events, and situations from his former life, and then created a similar list of everything as it now stood. “Wow, what a remarkable difference,” he thought, “I am so glad that I put in the effort to make these changes.”

               As he slowly began a decline into old age, he could feel himself growing weaker and more focused on pursuing a life of holiness and truth. Certain that he had no more than forty more years of life ahead of him, he created a long list of things to accomplish, impact to be made on those he loved, places to visit, and time to spend with loved ones. Despite growing older and weaker, he maintained a regular cycle of exercise, healthy eating, and avoiding distraction from the emptiness of the culture around him.

               The corruption of the world around him left him troubled and tormented at the suffering and abuse that so many children experienced from those were supposed to be protecting them. He began to put in time and energy at helping those in need, the children who were being ignored and abused by their loved ones, wondering if there was more he could do to be a positive influence.

               “This is an insane culture in which we live,” he thought, “it seems like everyone is so focused on only pleasing themselves with no concern about the psychological and emotional wellbeing of others. Those who are weak, who are vulnerable, and need to be protected should be not used and abused by those who are stronger.” He continued to watch the news, and was happy to see that some action was being taken by those in authority to help those who were in dangerous situations. “This is all moving far too slow,” he thought, “more prayer, more activity, and more help to those who are being neglected, used, and abused needs to take place immediately.”

               As these thoughts continued to plague Oliver, he made the decision to only spend his money on those things that were actual necessities, and on anything that would increase the value of his home, and positively impact those around him. The consistent cycle of hot summers, cold winters, rainy springs, and rainy autumns made him realize that time is a cycle that will always follow the same pattern. “Okay, Oliver,” he thought, “using the annual cycle of the year as a pattern, create a pattern for yourself for each year on how you spend your time, spend your money, and with whom you interact. Think about the state of your body two and a half years ago, and how you changed your diet to make yourself stronger and healthier.”

               “Now apply that approach to what you bring into your heart and mind, so that your overall wellbeing becomes a stronger, more sacred, and more silent version of you that will be a better version of yourself,” he thought, “spend some time thinking about personal improvement, how to positively influence those around you, and the need and importance for purity of soul and mind.”

               “Here is a thought for you, Oliver,” he said to himself, “would you eat a pizza that was polluted with feces or dead bugs? This is how you need to think about what you take into yourself through your five senses. Filling yourself with empty distraction, foolishness, and cheap entertainment will not lead to a good outcome or a life of quality.”

               Now filled with joy and satisfaction at the positive path that his life had now taken, he committed himself to continuing that path and seeking instruction and direction from those holier than himself. Another decade passed and he marveled at how wonderful life had become now that he was on a good path toward that which was good, right, and true. The more time he spent around others, he continued to remain amazed at how many people spent so little time on things of value, but were content with distracting themselves with foolish activity and pointless entertainment.

               One week after his one hundredth birthday, Oliver began spending more time sleeping, more time with good and holy people, and in prayer. As he knew that his time on this earth was drawing to an end, he continued to be thankful for the decisions he made in the past to begin a new path toward goodness, beauty, and truth, rather than remaining content with entertainment of no value. “Now I am drawing close to eternity, to glory, and toward the presence of God,” he told himself, “I need to pursue holiness, pursue purity, and pursue that which will help me continue moving on this path toward these things.”