A Taste of the Classics by Boa Kenneth; & Kenneth D. Boa

Author:Boa, Kenneth; & Kenneth D. Boa [Boa, Kenneth D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2014-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

I will conclude with some thoughts from the latter portion of Pensées where Pascal finally converges his thoughts in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He says, “The ordinary life of a man is like that of the saints. We all seek satisfaction and they only differ according to the object in which they locate it.” He asserts, like Augustine, that ultimately the satisfaction of the human heart is based on relationship with our Creator. As Augustine affirmed in his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”

Pascal goes on to say, “Do small things in this world as if they were great.” This insight really convicted me. I sometimes struggle with thinking that the small things in life are getting in the way of my ministry and of my effectiveness and that I am nonproductive when I am doing trivial things. I am an intuitive, and I don’t like details. Yet life is filled with all sorts of sensory details and problems to be solved. Pascal says, “Do small things as if they were great because of the majesty of Christ, who does them in us and lives on in our life. Do great things as if they were small and easy because of His almighty power.” What he is saying is that there is splendor in the ordinary.

While we tend to group our activities into categories of importance, Pascal suggests that anything done to God’s glory, through the power of Christ, whether mundane or extraordinary, pleases God and helps the body of Christ. He states, “The slightest movement affects the whole of nature; one stone can alter the whole sea. Likewise, in the realm of grace, the slightest action affects everything because of its consequences; therefore everything matters.” Kreeft comments on this observation, adding, “Here is the great principle of solidarity, spiritual and mystical and universal. Every sin harms everyone in the Body, and every act of love and obedience to the Head helps every organ in the Body.” With this statement he affirms the significance of all our actions, large or small, when we are part of the body of Christ.

There is another phrase that I have come to love, and it is this: “Love God in all things.” In other words, we can love God in our relationships. We can love God in our work. We can choose to love God even in our recreation. If you think about it, we can love God in any activity. There is no sacred-secular distinction when we realize we are doing everything for the sake of the name. All things can connect together. Finally, in his statement number 946, Pascal writes,

Consider Jesus Christ in every person and in ourselves. Jesus Christ has father in His Father. Jesus Christ has brother in His brothers. Jesus Christ has poor in the poor. Jesus Christ has rich in the rich. Jesus Christ has priest and doctor in priests and doctors. Jesus Christ has sovereign in princes, etc.

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