Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10.5)

Vision
Human Life
Does life matter? I mean, human life? More to the point, does your life matter?

Is there a reason for your being? Why you are here? And is that reason sufficient to justify all the resources you consume, the space you occupy, and the effort others must make to accommodate your existence?

And if you insist you do matter, on what basis do you matter, other than your own belief that you personally matter and that’s all that matters?

This is the question Rebecca Newberger Goldstein addresses in a wide-ranging, rambling conversation with Edge (“The Mattering Instinct,” March 16, 2016). Winner of the 2014 National Humanities Medal, presented by President Obama, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein explains what she refers to as “the mattering instinct.” She explains, “We can’t pursue our lives without thinking our lives matter...Simply to take actions on the basis of desires is to act as if your life matters. It’s inconceivable to pursue a human life without these kinds of presumptions – that your own life matters to some extent.”

Of course people matter, she insists. That’s so obvious that we shouldn’t really waste any time trying to justify the reasons why we think we matter. We must learn to respect one another as mattering beings.

But isn’t it the “must” part of that statement that creates all the problems?

Ms. Newberger Goldstein rejects any kind of religious explanation for this “mattering instinct”, insisting instead “that there is an equitable distribution of mattering among humans. To the extent that any of us matters – and just try living your life without presuming that you do – we all equally matter.”

What does this mean? She seems to be saying that we matter, if to no one else, to ourselves. Just look at the care and effort we take at just staying alive. Every person’s “own life deserves the assiduous attention and dedicated activity that every creature unthinkingly gives it.”

Such a view, the author believes, is self-evident and thus beyond justification. It is a mistake to try to figure out why we matter, or to justify the idea that we matter. Science may tell us that we live in a universe without purpose, and that may be so; but we matter, by golly, no matter what. We simply must accept the situation for what it is.

Ah, yes, “must” again.

People have to learn to matter on their own terms, not those of others. That is, we are the determiners of our purpose in life; we decide why we matter, and we do so by the choices we make each day. This is a highly individualistic idea: I matter because, if nothing else, I matter to me. We have to refrain from thinking that our ideas about what matters are anything like universal ideals. “Mattering” is universal, at least among humans; why we matter, is well, a matter of choice.

But how do we get people to agree on such a notion? After all, there are plenty of people in the world who believe their lives matter more than the lives of others, and who take advantage of, oppress, or even destroy other mattering people in order to fulfill their chosen reason for being. Should we just tell them they “must” stop?

Ms. Newberger Goldstein has surely hit on a truth of human experience. Human beings matter. But we matter not just because we take care for our wellbeing, but because God does. He made us in His own image and likeness. He attends to the needs of every person, providing abundantly for even the most miserable beggar, while He strives to get our attention, woos us with glimpses of His glory, bears with our sinfulness, and summons us in the depths of our souls to seek the way marked out by His Law (Gen. 6.63; Acts 14.17; Rom. 2.14, 15).

The fact that we matter to God means that human life is not merely subjectively relevant, but eternally so. There is nothing particularly ennobling or secure in believing that I matter simply because I say so. But mattering because God says so makes me – and you and everyone else – beings of infinite value. We are creatures who matter so much that God gave His only-begotten Son to redeem and rescue from sin all who believe in Him.

We matter, but not merely to ourselves or those who love us in this world. We matter to God.

For reflection
1.  What evidence do you see to make you believe that people think they matter?

2.  What happens with people who no longer think they matter? Does the fact that they may think this way change God’s attitude toward them? Explain.

3.  How does the Gospel demonstrate that we matter as human beings?

“Does your life matter?” Try asking that question with a few people you know. Try to discover why they believe they matter. If the opportunity arises, be prepared to tell them that they matter to God, and how you know that.

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The Week features insights from a wide range of topics and issues, with a view to equipping the followers of Christ to take every thought captive for Jesus. Please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.