NO MAN’S LAND

As I reflect on the increase in suicide among the people of our present world, especially the young, I am reminded of an event that happened back in 1973. My son was only eleven years old at that time. One day I had gone to a seminar on raising children. The instructor shared an exercise they use with children to help them get in touch with their feelings. She said that they ask children to draw a picture of what they are feeling or felt throughout the day. When my children came home from school that day, I decided to try this exercise with them. I asked them all to draw a picture of what they felt that day.

At the time, it was not apparent to me that my son was very emotionally troubled about something. He drew two pictures. In the first picture, he drew an image of a boy and a girl in the corner of the page. They were angry and had their fists clenched. In the middle of the page he drew a pirate’s ship with a plank going out over the side. He drew a picture of himself walking the plank, blind-folded, with his hands tied behind him. He was so disillusioned that he didn’t care, he wanted to die; he wanted to escape from the world he lived in. But, he didn’t want to be separated from his family and those he loved. At first, he wanted us all to walk the plank with him so that we could all be together. Then, when he thought about it, he realized that he did not want any of us to die. He thought to himself, there must be a better way, so he decided to draw another picture.

In the second picture, he drew the earth and a rocket ship with all his family getting onto the rocket. He drew another planet in the sky and called it “No Man’s Land.” His whole family boarded the rocket for this new planet. Then he drew another picture of a boy and girl in the corner of the page. This time they were smiling and holding hands. He explained that on earth, there was hatred and fighting, but on this new planet, there was only love.

After drawing these pictures, my son appeared to be healed. His attitude and whole demeanor were transformed. He was filled with excitement and joy, as he explained his drawings to me. His emotional crisis of the day seemed to be overcome. On the surface, it might seem like my son was healed just by drawing these pictures, by creating a more positive ending to his story, but I don’t think he was able to interpret the symbolism that came through his images, or to fully appreciate the spiritual significance, at the time. I see the images he used as being symbolic of spiritual realities.

I believe that my son’s love for his family dispelled his death wish, causing him to want to live. His hope of new life and a new world increased his faith, which enabled him to find another option. The new planet—No Man’s Land—seems to be very symbolic of the kingdom of God, a spiritual kingdom that is not dominated by humans. My son put his faith in a rocket that could take him and his family to this new world. For me, the rocket seems to symbolize Jesus, and the Church. The rocket, leading to new life, replaced the plank, leading to death. The pirates on the ship who blind-folded him and tied his hands, like a prisoner, remind me of the devil and the “rulers of darkness” (Eph 6:12). This whole conversion process of faith, hope, and love, resulted in peace, joy, and love; symbolized by the little boy and girl, smiling and holding hands.

As I reflect on these two pictures, I see them as two illustrations of our present culture. The first picture is an illustration of a world dominated by Satan; a world without hope; a world in need of salvation, in need of Jesus Christ and the Gospel he proclaimed. Scripture tells us that Satan is the “ruler of this world,” (Jn 12:31) and that he is a thief, a pirate (Jn 10:10). This is represented by the pirate’s ship. Satan is the destroyer who comes to lead us to death. Because of our lack of faith, hope, and love, we have become his prisoners. Our hands are tied, and we are powerless to deliver ourselves. We have been blind-folded and deceived, unable to see God, unable to see where we are going. Without faith and hope, we give into despair, and long for death. The separation and enmity between the boy and girl represent the effects of our sins upon all our relationships, as well as our freedom to love.

The Good News is that Jesus defeated Satan when he embraced the Cross and rose from the dead. He walked the plank for us to give us a new vision, a new kingdom; eternal life. Jesus can free us from the power of darkness and the hold of Satan if we are willing to turn from sin and accept the new life he offers us: “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (NAB Col 1:13-14).

The second picture is an illustration of salvation: deliverance and transportation into the kingdom of God. Through faith we enter Jesus, the rocket. We are baptized into Jesus. Jesus tells us: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me” (Jn 14:6). By entering the rocket, we are given hope for a new life, a new world. We are transported into the kingdom of God—No Man’s Land—a kingdom not dominated by humans, but by God. Life in the kingdom of God is represented by the boy and girl holding hands and smiling. Love, peace, joy, and unity reign.

There is great darkness upon the earth today, which explains why suicide has become a major issue; especially among adolescents and teens. A culture of death lacks faith, hope, and love; life ends in the tomb and death is the victor. Our image of God is reflected in our image of humanity. We live in an atheistic world that does not acknowledge God as a divine being with an intellect and will. We see God as simply a force or energy. Our culture sees human beings as temporary; as expendable, disposable, and replaceable material bodies without a soul. Our culture sees all humans as mere objects for our use, which is also how we see God.

Our culture has replaced the true meaning of love with pleasure; something that makes us momentarily happy. It sees death as the only remedy for pain and suffering. In an atheistic world order—a culture of death—suicide, euthanasia, abortion, and war are the only options for pain and suffering. In an atheistic society, people do not believe in the future, at least not beyond the boundaries of their own mortal life. They do not believe in eternal life or eternity. They are without hope for what is not seen, for what is beyond their own vision and understanding. They have no hope for life beyond the grave. An atheistic society can only have faith in money, power, might, and what is in their power to control and manipulate. Faith presupposes trust; depends on trust. Atheists cannot really trust anything or anyone that they cannot control. However, we can only actually trust what we cannot control—a higher power beyond human power, that is perfect goodness and perfect love, and in control of everything; an essence that is incapable of evil.

The only answer to the world’s problems today, is Jesus Christ. He was sent into the world to save us, and to deliver us from the power of Satan, so that we might have the fullness of life—now and forever. What does it mean to be saved? What are we saved from? What are we saved for? These are important questions for us to ponder if we want to experience salvation, and new life.

In the days of Moses, the Hebrews knew what salvation was. For them, it meant to be delivered from bondage and slavery; to be free to practice their religion and live their beliefs; to have their dignity restored; and to return to the promised, land, the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. The Hebrews prayed and longed for a deliverer. They expected and awaited the one who would come to deliver them. When Moses came, they recognized him as their deliverer. They believed in him, and they followed him out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea. They followed him through the desert, accepted a Covenant with God, and eventually entered the Promised Land. Their salvation was not instantaneous. It was a journey through time and space, and involved many phases of life, as well as many sacrifices.

What did it mean for the Apostles to be saved? At the time of Jesus, the Jews were under the oppression of the Romans. Like the Hebrews, they knew poverty, sickness, slavery, and death. They knew the power of the enemy and the power of sin and death over their lives. They knew what it meant not to be free. They longed for freedom, salvation, deliverance, restoration, and the promise of the kingdom of God, here and for eternity. When Jesus came, many of them recognized him as the Messiah; as the Son of God; as their savior, deliverer, and Lord. They believed in Jesus because they believed in God and his promise. They recognized Jesus because of his signs and deeds, and especially, because of his love—his passion, death, and resurrection. This was only the beginning. They followed Jesus through Baptism, a type of the Red Sea. They took up their Cross, a type of the desert experience. They entered into a new covenant with God, abandoning their lives to his will. They received the promise—the gift of the Holy Spirit—enabling them to live in the kingdom of God; enabling them to enter into a new relationship with the Holy Trinity, to call God, Abba Father; to be clothed with power from on high. They received the promise, not only for this life, but the promise of transformation and holiness that would prepare them for the life to come in heaven.

It doesn’t take a visionary to see that we live in a world that has something seriously wrong with it. People everywhere, are beset with loneliness, depression, anxiety, boredom, suspicion, mistrust, quarreling, and hatred. God did not create the world to be this way, nor does he want it to be this way.

Unless we believe in eternal life, that there is more to life than the short span we spend on earth, unless we have a purpose for our life that is more than just survival, a divine purpose, we won’t have much incentive to want to live when we are challenged by anxiety, sickness, suffering, and loss. We will seek an escape through drugs or suicide. We need to know that eternal life is reality. There is no escape.

Our youth and young adults are our hope for the future of this world, but they need to be given hope first; the kind of hope that leads to faith in Jesus Christ and God’s love. Our young people need to know the power of the Cross and suffering; how to embrace it rather than run from it. They need to know that life is eternal and that this life is merely a preparation for the kingdom of God. They need to know that Jesus came into the world to reveal the Father’s love for us, and it is this love that sets us free. They need the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit so that they can live in the kingdom of God—No Man’s Land—on earth. This is our salvation.