“Fifteen hundred persons had been traveling by
train for several days and nights: there were eighty people in each coach. All
had to lie on top of their luggage, the few remnants of their personal
possessions. The carriages were so full that only the top parts of the windows
were free to let in the grey of dawn. Everyone expected the train to head for
some munitions factory, in which we would be employed as forced labor. We did
not know whether we were still in Selesia or already in Poland. The engine’s
whistle had an uncanny sound, like a cry for help sent out in commiseration for
the unhappy load which it was destined to lead into perdition. Then the train
shunted, obviously nearing a main station. Suddenly a cry broke out from the
ranks of the anxious passengers, ‘There is a sign, Auschwitz!’ Everyone’s heart
missed a beat at that moment. Auschwitz—the very name stood for all that was
horrible: gas chambers, crematoriums, massacres. Slowly, almost hesitatingly,
the train moved on as if it wanted to spare its passengers the dreadful realization
as long as possible.” p. 22
These words can be found within the opening
pages of Victor Fankl’s now famous book, “Man’s
Search for Meaning.” I first read the book more than 30 years ago as a
senior in High School and the images painted by Frankl were then and still are
beyond any horror film that could ever be produced. Frankl was a practicing
psychiatrist when he was taken prisoner by Hitler’s forces and dispatched first
to Auschwitz and then to various labor camps. Frankl recounts the story of his
imprisonment from the perspective of an everyday prisoner not a “martyr or
hero.” While I will expand a bit on more of what Frankl says, his book was not
intended as an historical account of the atrocities suffered by millions at the
hands of the Nazi’s. Instead, he wanted to convey a message through the eyes of
a trained professional that humanity’s value and attitude is not dependent on
external conditions. Although Frankl is not writing specifically from a
spiritual perspective, he is quite frank in saying that our attitude and the
hope for something beyond our immediate circumstances provides the vehicle to
lift us above our circumstances. He writes, “The way in which a man accepts his
fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross,
gives him ample opportunity--even under the most difficult circumstances—to add
a deeper meaning to his life.” p. 76 As I was reading Frankl’s words, I was
reminded about Paul’s attitude in his letter to the church in Philippi. Let’s
take a look at what Paul wrote:
Philippians
1:12-30
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to
me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout
the whole palace guard and
to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my
chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word
of God more courageously and fearlessly.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but
others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am
put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish
ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I
am in chains.
18 But what
does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false
motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes,
and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and
the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn
out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no
way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ
will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to
live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will
mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn
between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
24 but it is
more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of
this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your
progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again
your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my
absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man
for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by
those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but
that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of
Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are
going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
History
For the purposes of this teaching, it is
important to place this letter into its proper historical context. Paul is
writing to the church in Philippi while he was in prison in Rome. It was probably
written sometime around 62 AD. Paul is responding to the gifts and inquiries he
received from the believers in Philippi. This would not be the last time Paul
would be imprisoned by Rome as we know from history, but Paul didn’t know that
at the time even if the text alludes to the possibility that he may again visit
the Philippians. Consequently there are some very important observations we
should make from this text.
When you read the text, what stood out as
usually being mutually exclusive? Let me describe it to you by way of
comparison:
Circumstance Attitude
Imprisoned Joy
Chained Rejoicing
For most of us, it’s hard to put ourselves in
Paul’s shoes, but try and be completely honest with yourself, would joy and
rejoicing be your attitude if your circumstances were the same as Paul’s? I
know that that’s what I’d like my attitude to be but I doubt that it would be.
Maybe you’re like me, the worse my circumstances are, usually, the worse my
attitude is. If you’re not like this, I bet you know someone that is. Think
about it, most of us have never been chained or imprisoned for our faith or
even know someone who has been. But we probably know someone who is frustrated
that they have to drive a used car, or their house isn’t as nice as they’d
like, or they don’t get paid enough at their job or they have too much homework
or the service at their favorite restaurant has really gotten bad or
________________ you fill in the blank. Everything about our circumstances
screams that it is inevitable that we should have a bad attitude. But, Frankl
writes, “What about human liberty? Is there no spiritual freedom in regard to
behavior and reaction to any given surroundings? Is that theory true which
would have us believe that man is no more than a product of many conditional
and environmental factors—be they of a biological, psychological or
sociological nature? Is man but an accidental product of these? Most important,
do the prisoners’ reactions to the singular world of the concentration camp
prove that man cannot escape the influences of his surroundings? Does man have
no choice of action in the face of such circumstances?” P. 74
SIDEBAR
{Before I go any farther, I’d like to make a
quick note about depression. As someone who often suffers from episodes of
depression, I am keenly aware that during the worst times of depression I feel
completely trapped in my circumstances. Thankfully, I don't suffer from
clinical or ongoing depression. Nevertheless, there are countless others who
struggle daily with varying degrees of depression; people both inside and
outside the Church. There are many causes of depression, psychological and/or
physiological. Unfortunately, the Church, historically, has been skeptical
about, and sometimes hostile towards, psychology, its practices and its
findings. Let me just say that this position is unnecessary and unbiblical.
Without traveling too far off topic, let me say that sin has invaded every area
of our lives and has affected us physically, spiritually, and psychologically.
Therefore, if it’s acceptable to see a doctor for our physical ailments and a
minister for our spiritual ailments then it is perfectly acceptable to seek
help for psychological struggles if necessary. If you struggle with depression,
there is no shame in seeking professional help. The premise of my teaching
contained herein assumes the ability to chose our attitude and I understand,
from personal experience, that depression can, at times, wrestle that choice
from our grasp.}
With that out of the way, let’s take a closer
look at Paul’s attitude in our subject text.
Vv. 12-14 -- I can only guess that the
believers in Philippi would like to know how Paul is faring in prison. But Paul
has in mind one thing—the advancement of the gospel. He sees in his captivity
the means by which God continues to advance his message of salvation through
Jesus Christ. Paul interprets his imprisonment as leverage that elevates the
level of courage in believers who witness his captivity and thereby have become
more fearless in their own faith. Paul’s captivity has meaning for Paul because
it advances his passion and mission. Frank Thielman writes, “When difficult,
even life-threatening, circumstances face us, we should take Paul as our
example and look for how God might be working in such circumstances to advance
the gospel either in our lives or in the lives of others.”[1]
Vv. 15-18 These verses seem a bit out of
context but I believe Paul was addressing a particular problem that the church
in Philippi was experiencing at the time Paul was in prison. Evidently, there
were some who were in the “business” of preaching the gospel but their motives
were less than pure. Gordon D. Fee writes, “Thus they [those causing trouble]
think in terms of Paul, his imprisonment, and his affliction; he [Paul] thinks
in terms of the gospel.”[2]
Paul isn’t the least bit fazed by the report that not everyone is in it for the
right reasons. Instead, Paul’s attitude is focused on the end result that the
gospel is being preached. People have the opportunity to hear the message of
the gospel irrespective of the motive of those who are delivering the message.
Vv. 19-26 These verses contain the now famous
Pauline principle: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul is
always focused on how Christ will be exalted whether that be through his life
or through his death. For Paul, everything was a “win-win” situation! If he
remained alive, he had the opportunity to live his life to advance the gospel
and teach others about Christ. However, if his circumstances resulted in his
death, he knew he would go to be with Christ which he considered to be the
better of the two options. Even so he was fully prepared to remain and
celebrate the growth in faith of the believers in Philippi.
Vv. 27-30 In these verses, Paul is encouraging
the Philippian believers to conduct themselves with courage and bravery as they
contend for their faith against those who oppose them. Interestingly, these
verses hint that Paul is expecting the believers in Philippi to adopt the same
attitude that he has because they have the “privilege” of suffering for the
faith in the same way that Paul has suffered and continues to suffer. Frankl,
well acquainted with suffering, writes, “When a man finds that it is his
destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single
unique task...No one can relieve him of his suffering of suffer in his place.
His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden.” p. 86
Paul found it! Paul found the ultimate meaning
in his life—Jesus Christ—and, as a consequence, everything about his life was
filled with joy and rejoicing. Nevertheless, Paul could choose his attitude and
he chose to rejoice. Frankl writes, “We who lived in concentration camps can
remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away
their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer
sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the
last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of
circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” P. 75
So what should we take from Frankl and from
Paul’s example? Life is filled with suffering, strife, grief, persecution,
oppression and countless other hardships. Nevertheless, humanity has a choice
to respond to those hardships with an attitude of complaining and bitterness or
with an attitude of joy and rejoicing. But what about those circumstances that
one could hardly define as a “hardship?” Oh like—“Starbucks is killing my
budget!” Aside from being spoiled brats, I believe there still remains an
opportunity to have an attitude of complaining about something so ridiculous or
an attitude of thankfulness that we have an opportunity to enjoy one of God’s
greatest gifts—coffee—on virtually every street corner! Ultimately, it comes down
to a choice of attitude. Don’t get me wrong, I don't want to make it sound easy
when it can actually be quite difficult especially if we’re in the habit of
having a bad attitude whenever we are inconvenienced by the slightest thing.
Practice having an attitude of joy while the struggles of your life are
relatively insignificant and pray that should the day come that you are called
to endure a grueling struggle that you would be prepared to face it with joy
and rejoicing. Frankl tells a beautifully heart-wrenching story that makes this
point when he writes:
“This young woman knew that she would die in the next few days.
But when I talked to her she was cheerful in spite of this knowledge. ‘I am
grateful that fate has hit me so hard,’ she told me. ‘In my former life I was
spoiled and did not take spiritual accomplishments seriously,’ Pointing through
the window of the hut, she said, ‘This tree here is the only friend I have in
my loneliness.’ Through that window she could see just one branch of a chestnut
tree, and on the branch were two blossoms. ‘I often talk to this tree,’ she
said to me. I was startled and didn't quite know how to take her words. Was she
delirious? Did she have occasional hallucinations? Anxiously I asked her if the
tree replied. ‘Yes.’ What did it say to her? She answered, ‘It said to me, 'I
am here--I am life, eternal life.’”
In the face of your circumstances, whether
they are truly grim or apparently trivial, will your attitude be one of joy and
rejoicing that breathes life into the soul or an attitude of complaining and
bitterness that acts like a slow poison that kills the soul?
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