- Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? -
This is our last verse comparing the stillborn to the rich man.
Did you know that men’s brains don’t finish developing until around age 25? Can’t find a good guy? Perhaps you should date older men.
While there is no doubt a myriad of things that change in our bodies throughout our lives, this lack of development leads to one particular problem for guys.
They struggle to accurately think about the future, i.e. they struggle to actually and fully comprehend their own deaths.
Ever notice a teenager acting invincible? Ever wonder why it takes longer for dudes to figure out that they are mortal?
It’s primarily related to the development of your prefrontal cortex. It’s the part of the brain that allows us to think about our actions before they occur.
Imagine having a body full of testosterone with a blurry image of the future.
Whenever this process completes, we get a good glimpse into what “cessation” looks like. A quarter life crisis is exactly this.
A midlife crisis was someone who ignored or paid too much attention to their eventual demise.
So, who wouldn’t want to live for 2,000 years? Imagine watching Jesus die on the cross and still being alive today.
Think of the inventions you would have seen unfold, the wars and history you had a front row seat to, the change in the quality of life.
It’s staggering.
Yet consider the possibility with immortality you never practiced any morality. Is this not the story at the heart to the Picture of Dorian Grey?
Oscar Wilde is nothing less than an expert hedonist, but even he was honest enough to admit that long life without virtue marred your soul.
The stillborn goes to the same place the corrupt man does. The child arrives in bliss while the man carries hatred and fear.
Who has it better? Given enough time, who would we pick to be? Hateful and vengeful to our fellow brothers, or whisked away before we knew pain?
I hear the question already, probably because I have more a right to it than most.
“What about the parents left behind? Do they suffer in their normal lives with no good? What’s the point of being righteous if the only reward is suffering.”
What good can come from that.
Hear is a stark truth. It is good to suffer for the right things. In fact, it’s better to suffer for the right things than it is to have goods if gained with lies, hatred, and theft.
That is a simple truth, yet at times it feels bare and hopeless to utter. It’s excruciating to speak it when you’re in agony.
I learned a few simple lessons before I went through infertility. One: that I was the worst sinner, and Two: that God was faithful.
When I first learned Katie and I would struggle, I knew immediately that God’s plan, no matter what it was, would be far better than anything I could hope for.
Because of that faith, I could see the hatred welling up in me. By trusting God, I could see my depravity.
I hated happy families. I hated the laughter of children. I hated fathers and mothers.
God gave me this vision. Why?
So I could see my future if I gave myself over to the desires of my heart.
Nothing ever made me love children more, despite their absence and the cost for my sight.
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