“Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
“Frankenstein”
author, Mary Shelley’s quote recently stopped me in my tracks:
“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he
only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.”
You could
insert the word “addiction” in place of “evil,” and you’d have a fitting
portrait of the chaotic addict.
For whether
or not we understand it, face it or change it, the happiness lure is synonymous
with our own addiction-prone hearts. We have more in common with Dr. Frankenstein
and his obsessions than is flattering to admit.
We are creatures of what we treasure
in our hearts.
“For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.”
Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34
If we apply
Shelley’s quote directly to our dear scientist, we see how he has viewed the creation
of life in a laboratory as his happiness, as “the good he seeks.” This was his
addiction. So consumed, he did bring to life a creation compiled of assembled cadavers.
A little electricity and presto! We have our grotesque monster.
His frantic
behavior is not far removed from us, in the grips of our own personal
addictions.
Case in
point: our unique “bottom” experiences. Just superimpose our own debauchery
incidents.
How low did
we go? How out of control were we? How much did we damage and lose, all because
we were thoroughly convinced we had found our happiness, our much-sought after good?
This
dovetails into our next truth...
We tend to believe what we feel.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
Dr.
Frankenstein, perhaps, believed he was doing something “for the greater good”
in his reanimated creation. Perhaps, he felt he could eradicate all pain, loss
and death from life. That would be a good thing, right? And, many a commentary
has explored how Dr. Frankenstein wanted to play God.
Hmmm...
Playing God... It sounds a smidge familiar.
For, in
scripture, someone else also wanted
to play God...
“But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will
raise my throne above the stars of God. And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I
will be like the most High.’”
Isaiah 14:13-14
And we see
what happened there...
“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the
pit.”
Isaiah 14:15
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations!”
Yeah, so
there’s that.
And we can resemble
that same spirit whenever we go full throttle in rationalizing our addictions.
Perhaps we
say things to ourselves like...
“I have to do this in order to
function. People depend on me to get results.”
“This is what I have to do to survive
the hell I’ve gone through.”
Saying these
things, we, therefore, arrive at our next checkpoint...
Our hearts may not be as honest as we
think them to be.
“The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
Did Dr.
Frankenstein ever stop, anywhere in the process, and examine his motives? Did
he pray? Did he search the moral implications of his passionate work? Did he
think about the consequences?
From the
story, it appears he simply went full steam ahead, convinced he was on the
right track. He believed he was on his way to greatness. Nothing could- or should- stop him.
He was not
objective; there was no way he could be.
And he
definitely wasn’t looking for someone to call him out on his outrageous plans.
Nope.
Again, he
made the mistake of seeing this “evil” as his harmless, even benevolent,
happiness or good.
And, so do
we, don’t we?
One theory asserts
that addictions begin for one reason and continue for other reasons. But, in
that process, we are never alerted as to when, exactly, that “change” happens
for us. There is no Google alert to warn us how our curiosity, attempts at
being social or meeting a perceived need now continue because we are in over
our heads and need a coping device.
Ah, yes,
coping. This brings us to the next dose of reality concerning our hearts and
this so-called “pursuit of happiness...”
Each one of us comes from a
heartbreaking backstory, which influences our choices.
“The heart knoweth his own
bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.”
Proverbs 14:10
We don’t
know Dr. Frankenstein’s pain backstory, per se. Still, he appears to be driven
by something. Somewhere, in his life, perhaps, an unmet need festered, creating
the obsession for control and achievement. He, again, embodies Shelley’s quote.
“No man chooses evil because it is
evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.”
There is no
denying it, pain, likewise, motivates us, for better or for worse.
Many of us
have experiences with abuse, loss, death and all kinds of tragic circumstances
which shape us.
And, if we
are not mindful, we can find ourselves driven to acquire some “consolation
prize” with which to soothe ourselves.
We are convinced
it is happiness, the good we certainly need to seek for our lives.
This often
provides the ground floor for addiction to flourish. We believe our chosen
happiness will eradicate, fix or soothe our heartbreak.
So, in this
regard, Proverbs 14:10 not only illustrates the significance of our pain,
but of our individual addictions as well. Each is as unique as a fingerprint.
This unique significance prompts this necessity...
Each one of us needs to get searched.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24
We don’t know, to what extent, Dr.
Frankenstein was warned. But come on, creating eternal life, manmade style?
That had to ruffle a few feathers and wag a few tongues, decrying, “madness”
and “blasphemy,” among other less-than-enthusiastic responses.
Concerning the classic story, we know the
tragic result. He plunged into the endeavor, animating this grotesque being
with no plan for what would happen beyond that creation. There was no commitment
to take care of the creature. None. People freaked out, attempting to hurt and
kill what they did not understand, his monster. Dr. Frankenstein never
considered that human response. Our doctor, in the realm of personal
accountability, responsibility and consequences, did not want to search or be
searched.
His focus was on his definition of happiness,
however harmful it may have been.
Again, kind of like us. Because most of us
aren’t interested in this searching, this “moral inventory.”
Nope. Just feed the disease, the craving, the
desire which assures us happiness is found here. It is the goodness we seek, period.
Yet, this willingness to be searched- and
dealt with- cannot be avoided.
“He who conceals his transgressions
will not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.”
Proverbs 28:13
We must look at ourselves in truth. Not
delusion, not rationalization, not deceit. Truth.
“If we say that we have
no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:8-9
Without that, the tragedy of Shelley’s story
may well be ours.
“Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth
death.”
James 1:15
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
“‘For I have no pleasure in the death
of him that dieth,’ saith the Lord GOD. ‘wherefore turn yourselves, and live
ye.’”
Ezekiel 18:32
Cue the next truth...
Each one of us is subject to getting
our minds blown and our desires fulfilled by the Most High God.
Dr.
Frankenstein did not stop to consider the rewards which come from focusing on Divine
direction.
“Trust in the Lord
with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
He wanted to
take the credit for his accomplishment. In doing so, he missed an incredible
opportunity.
Again, there
was probably not much prayer, asking for wisdom in his choices.
Instead, he
was convinced his way was the right way. And, in doing so, he short-changed his
potential to do something astounding, had he been Spirit-led, not ego-led.
And isn’t
that what we do when we reach for our addiction instead of the closeness with
our Maker? Our Creator is a loving Father Who wishes to bless and enhance us,
not curse and harm us.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Connection
with Him, taking top priority within us, allows for a greater chance of that
fulfillment.
Addiction’s
faulty promise lies in its short-term gratification, in its counterfeit
resemblance of spiritual communion. Nevertheless, its promise can be a tempting
proposition; after all, our addictions are usually within our natural reach.
The Most High God, to us, feels more remote.
Unlike our
addictions, connection with our Creator requires faith. Faith is not an easy,
materialized product. Its basis is that of uncertainty and trust, asking for us
to go beyond our finite senses. Often, that is neither gratifying nor
comforting.
Dr.
Frankenstein may have believed if he abandoned his addiction of creating “life,”
all would be hopelessly lost. He didn’t entertain there could be a better way,
a higher way, apart from his original set course.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my
ways, says the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
Likewise, in
our addiction-minded states, we become obsessed with everything we will lose if
we forsake our addictions.
We don’t
stop to think about what we will gain.
But we need
to keep first things first. There is a reward for doing so.
“But
as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’”
1 Corinthians 2:9
We choose
what we will believe about how our “Higher Power.” We choose whether or not we
will believe the Divine to be better and more fulfilling than our addiction.
“No man chooses evil because it is
evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.”
Where are
you and I in this statement?
Motives,
definitions and choices are nothing to take lightly. We are on the spectrum of
choosing and mistaking. Each of us is subject to our “happily ever after” good
and what we believe that good will do for us.
Each one of
us is capable of getting it wrong.
Only the
Most High represents the actual good we seek. Let there be no mistaking that.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is
the man that trusteth in him.”
Psalm 34:8
Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse
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