One of the worst fates is going through life and not ever knowing how to live. I mean genuinely knowing how to live fully with freedom to be you and pursue your purpose.
The Audioslave song, Show Me How To Live is one that always gets me pondering that premise. Some will listen to the lyrics and think it’s covertly Christian. Or, at least spiritual. Other astute listeners will likely view it as a song about the fictional “monster” known as, Frankenstein.
If you are wondering how in the world I can connect Jonathan Edwards, Frankenstein, hard rock music, and Gospel-centered living, have no worries. It may seem like a stretch, but not as much as you may think.
You see, when I hear the song, I think much about the book of Ecclesiastes. So, let’s explore that more as we dig into Edward’s 9th resolution.
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 9
Edwards’ Resolution #9 (in my modernized language) To think about my passing and be prepared for that inevitable day.
The song, Show Me How to Live, I believe, is about both spiritual living and Frankenstein. Specifically, I think it is about living in a world where we all sometimes feel like monsters.
God Created you for More than Mere Vanity
And in the aching night under satellites
I was not received
Built with stolen parts
A telephone in my heart
Someone get me a priest
To put my mind to bed
This ringing in my head
Is this a cure or is this a disease
– Audioslave, Show Me How to Live
As you consider this lyric from Show Me How to Live, imagine waking up, fully grown and in a body stitched together from dozens of parts previously belonging to other people. You know of no existence prior to that moment. And now you are expected to live among a people and culture where such handicaps are not the standard.
Everyone around you is living joyously and with frivolous emotions. You cannot relate.
Mired in misery as you try to figure out how your body works, you are desperate to communicate. And you cannot. You can’t tell anyone about the pain in your head. Nobody knows your legs are tingling because of poor circulation, or that your fingers bend the wrong way.
But heck, you don’t even know they’re wrong!
Knowing How to Live When You Don’t Know Why
This utter awkwardness is the sort of thing that will a make you wonder, why am I alive in this miserable existence. Why was I even created?
And then consider the monsters we become through our attitudes, addictions, beliefs, responses to experiences, trauma, etc. Sometimes, a harmless event launches a slow progression toward becoming counter to who we are simply because we seek pleasure and reward. Sometimes that reward is mere protection and basic provisions. Food and shelter. Happiness and belonging. An escape from societal pressures.
We become monsters, formed by the standards of the world we are sent to inhabit. As Christians, we are outsiders. Be that as it may, we still have to live among our given neighbors in harmony and love. And we are tempted – compelled even – to fit in and do things that may be in opposition to how we are supposed to live.
We forget that we are seeking acceptance that is so compelled by evil forces to reject!
Through connection with our creator, we gain true eternal belonging. It’s how we feel things are right. We gain perspective of purpose. We are saved from damnation.
Remember my sorrow and how short life is. Did you create men and women for nothing but this?
– Psalm 89:47 MSG
Our Earthly Lives are Not Eternal
Are you going through life and not really knowing how to live? The Bible talks about this, specifically in Ecclesiastes. I think of that book every time I hear Audioslave’s song, “Show Me How to Live.”
Our existence on earth is relatively short. Whether we live a week or 110 years. Life on earth is short. What we do during that brief stint is important.
And in the after birth
On the quiet earth
Let the stains remind you
You thought you made a man
You better think again
Before my role defines you
– Audioslave, Show Me How to Live
When I was a teenager, I thought I was invincible. I knew I would not live live forever, but I gave little wonder to any sort of legacy or life beyond the current day.
Now, well into my adulthood years, I have scars from stitches and major wounds. I have lingering physical ailments from not caring for my body. And yeah, I’m sure I lost more than a couple brain cells and have done irreversible damage.
Like many, teenage hubris kept a strong presence in my life. A series of events led me out of the fog and brought me into a fuller understanding of my life and purpose. God was showing me how to live.
I am lucky in this regard. Some souls never emerge from that ambiguity. They know little about their purpose and are left to wonder. The final verdict is not in and your race is still active. There is time to live!
Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
– Ecclesiastes 12:1-2 MSG
Living with God is Good
We go through several seasons of our lives, marked with distinctive moments, experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Just as the day begins with a sunrise, moves to a high noon, and the sun sets at twilight before the darkness of night, we too endure a cycle of life. Just as Spring gives way to Summer and then Autumn and Winter, our lives follow a pattern.
Our minds and bodies change during the transitions, yet God is the constant, blessing us with his grace all the while. That is the bigger picture we are wise to recognize.
In old age, your body no longer serves you so well. Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.
– Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 MSG
Stop Worrying About Death and Worry that You Will Not Live
Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over. Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends. The body is put back in the same ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.
– Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 MSG
Yes, we will one day leave this great earth. And yes, it’s sad for those who remain. However, that is never reason to stop living. We may encounter a need to live a bit differently. But do not stop!
As we spend out spring and summer seasons building the house for the Lord, we do so for his glory. At a certain point, we shall become broken-down vessels. On the outside at least. We might even be forgotten by the rest of the world – even our own families.
Broken as we may seem, though, because we chose to live – to really live – we are perfected on the inside and have transformed into the image that God envisioned from the very beginning of our existences! In effect, we have transitioned from being to monster to the rest of the world. However, we have transitioned from monster to perfect in the eyes of God!
Again, we have morphed into a new kind of monster. One that is outcast and alone. God, however, still sees us as his child, who me he dearly loves.
Serve the Father by staying in the race he’s placed you in. When you leave earth, the race is finished. The hero’s journey is complete. You arrive at eternal life. Will it be in a lake of fire with or in heaven with your creator?
And in your waiting hands
I will land
And roll out of my skin
And in your final hours I will stand
Ready to begin
– Audioslave, Show Me How to Live