I See Dead People
“I see dead people…. Walking around like regular people. They don’t see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don’t know they’re dead.” This bit of dialogue is from the movie, ‘The Sixth Sense.’ This suspense thriller tells the story of a very disturbed boy, Cole Sear, who has the ability to see into the spiritual realm and to communicate with the dead. Like many folks I really enjoyed the move, but it is scary to be sure. What Cole says about the dead people, “They don’t know they’re dead,” has always affected me. When I think about my own life experience I can tell you that there was a time when I did not feel fully alive. Did you ever feel that way?
Is That All There Is?
Here’s what I mean. When I look at my life and think about who I really am it seems clear that my existence is more than just the physical part. Sure, I try to take good care of my body, but I know instinctively I also have other needs. I want to be healthy in my mind and emotions too. These needs seem just as important as the physical part. But is that all there is?
I believe there’s more. Some of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had seem to tap into another part of me. This part seems deeper than my mind and it’s beyond my emotions. There’s a part of us that comes alive when we make a connection with our creator. Our creator is also our Father. He loves us and wants us to have an exciting and fulfilling life. Sometimes when I’m walking around in downtown Chicago or at the mall, I look at people and wonder if they’ve made this connection with God? I’m sure there are many folks walking around who look like regular people, but there’s a part of them that’s dead and they don’t know it.
Walking Dead or Staying Alive?
Does that sound strange to you? I’m not talking about zombies like the ‘walkers’ in ‘The Walking Dead’ TV series. I’m talking about something that’s real. Something that can be experienced by all of us. In most cultures and world religions there’s a commonly held belief that we all have a spiritual dimension to our existence. The simplest and best way to express it goes like this. I am a spirit; I have a soul; and I live in a body. This description seems to make sense to me because I know from experience that I tend to operate this way. I’m one cohesive person, but the different parts of me each serve a purpose and work together seamlessly.
For most of us, our bodies get plenty of attention, especially at meal time. Hopefully, we’re exercising and getting regular check-ups to stay healthy. That’s the physical part. We use our minds to think; our emotions to feel and our wills to make choices. All this stuff has to do with our soul. So what’s up with our spirit?
Born Free
According the Genesis creation story here’s how it all started. ‘God formed man’s body and then breathed into it the breath of life. That’s when the first man became a living person’ (Genesis 2:7) God is the source of all life and at creation he gave that life to us–his children. To be clear, we’re talking about more than just physical life. Part of this life is a deep spiritual connection–a relationship–that sustains our soul and spirit just like food sustains our body. You could call it soul food.
We were born free into God’s family. God made us to live in freedom because without the freedom to choose, there can be no love. But our ancestors used their freedom to make some poor choices and God’s perfect family became dysfunctional. The deep spiritual connection with God was broken. This is when spiritual death became a reality for us all. Ouch!
The Things We Do For Love
Like any good father, God wanted to restore the broken relationship with his kids. And since we were not in a good position to bridge the gap, God knew he needed to take the first step. He had a plan. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was determined to express his amazing love in a way that could not be resisted. ‘This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)
The plan is John 3:16. To paraphrase, ‘Our Father loved us so much that he sent his Son on a rescue mission to restore our freedom and give us life. Our part is to trust him to restore our connection with the Father. One day we’ll all be invited to a big family reunion at the Father’s house and this party will never end.’
Who is Life?
So what made it possible to restore our connection with God? Where does this spiritual life come from? Just like a plant sprouts from a seed in the ground and a river has a source, the life that our spirit needs comes from somewhere. Actually, it comes from someone. It comes from a person. He’s the ultimate life-giver. ‘God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has The Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life.’ (1 John 5:11-12)
When Jesus died and then came alive again that made him a subject matter expert on life. You can imagine what his Facebook status would have said the morning of: “Back in my street clothes. Stone rolled away. It’s been 3 days and, man, I’m hungry. #JCisBack!”
JC Has Street Cred
It’s been said that he messed up every funeral he ever attended–including his own. He raised a young man to life in the account in Luke 7:11-15. Just before raising his friend, Lazarus, he said to one of the grieving sisters, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.’ (John 11:25)
His own resurrection is very well documented. ‘He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day… He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time.’ (1 Corinthians 15:4-6)
He backed up his mission statement. ‘My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.’ (John 10:10) He was bodacious enough to say, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ (John 14:6) He walked the talk. ‘The greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.’ (John 15:13)
It’s Who You Know
So what does all this mean? Let’s say, you realize one day that something’s missing. You’re just not feeling it. Maybe you haven’t felt it for a long time. That spiritual part of you that we’ve been talking about seems more dead than alive. A lot of us have felt that way. The good news is there’s someone who can help.
‘This is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.’ (John 17:3)
You need to be well-connected. It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.
Copyright 2014 John H Briggs
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