In college, I skimmed through the book by Victor Frankl entitled “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Recently I decided to read it again and spend a little more time digesting the concepts.
For those unfamiliar with this book, it is a book written by Victor Frankl about his experiences in a concentration camp. What is so impressive with this man is that before he was sent to the concentration camp he was a doctor of psychology. He had been working on some essays and a book that defined man’s search for meaning and happiness and what motivates man to keep trying. In his book, he describes how he was offered a position at a college in the United States before the Nazis came into Austria, where he lived. Had he taken this position, he would have been safe and would have never entered into the concentration camp. However, one day when he found out his parents were going to more than likely be sent to the camps he felt torn because he felt responsibilty to care for them. He describes how one day he read in the Bible (Frankl was Jewish) to honor your father and your mother. He took this as an answer from God and sacrificed his trip to America. A few months later, he was caring for his father in a concentration camp as his father passed away.
Going back to the concentration camp experience, Frankl describes what happened when he arrived. First, they took all of his belongings, which only consisted of a suitcase, coat, etc. and disposed of them. Next, they stripped the prisoners down to nothing and then shaved them completely naked. Very humiliating.
As I was reading this I had a thought about who we as human beings really are. How would I view myself if I had a similar situation? If everything was taken from me…my house, money, job, clothes…hair (that’s actually on it’s way out right now: )…how would I view myself? Would I still view myself with dignity knowing that I am a child of God? Would I still act and think thoughts about myself as a divine being with unlimited potential?
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of someone who went through this when he was stripped down to nothing and whipped, beaten, and hung on the cross. Jesus taught to love in spite of all hell coming at you and he lived the perfect example of how to do this in dignity. He spoke with purpose. He chose not to speak at times such as when before kings and people mocking him and showed quite dignity. He taught to forsake all earthly posessions and to not set our hearts on riches.
Trying to love Jesus more fully and live His teachings is how we can ultimately find more meaning in our lives. When all is said and done, we are nothing without Him.
I encourage us all to take steps in prayer and read God’s Word so we can continually develop traits and find our ultimate meaning and purpose in life.
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April 26, 2008 at 10:46 pm
NM
Ah, Mr. Frankl: the creator of Logotherapy…
It was Mr. Frankl, along with other existential therapists of his age and of course, their contemporaries in existential philosophies like Sartre and Camus, which sent my mind loopy…literally.
Saying all of that, I really appreciated this post. =)
Jesus lived the perfect life and died the perfect death. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!
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April 27, 2008 at 4:27 am
mizpah31
Amen and Amen, ama49. Thank you for that post. Mizpah31
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April 27, 2008 at 5:45 am
Eric Zacharias
Funny how the world wars knocked the wind out of the humanists of the late 1800s and early 1900s, all of whom were sure that every human had goodness within them and that rational thought and education had paved the way for a paradise on earth. The idea that there is goodness inside of humanity was tested when Hitler rose to power. Many “enlightened” politicians thought they could reason with the pure evil of Hitler were sadly mistaken. Evil is never placated, never subdued by happy thoughts. Only God can roll back the power of evil
And, as mentioned, with the rise of such evil, the philosophical mindset darkened appreciably!
Genesis 6:5 puts it best: “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Grace is God’s desire to defeat evil on his terms. One of my favorite Bible verses is found in Titus 3: He saved us “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
We praise God for the salvation bestowed on us through the cross of Jesus Christ!
If life seems empty or void, we need only hear Jesus calling, the Shepherd who leads his sheep: I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
In this section, (John 10) we read that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. It is important to know that the word used here for “good” doesn’t just mean just morally good, but also “beautiful” or “winsome” or “lovely,” even “attractive.” Jesus is the beautiful, attractive, winsome Shepherd, and the Shepherd’s plan for His flock—more specifically, the Lord’s plan for you—is that your life would flourish. It is His absolute joy to bless you.
You flourish and have eternal life as you trust that Jesus is your Savior and Lord, who leads you in the paths of righteousness, for his name’s sake. It is the righteousness of Christ that makes you holy and precious in God’s sight. Were everything stripped away from us, we would still be loved, still be worthy of God’s care. And our hearts would be filled with joy. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (in Jesus!) and all these things will be added unto you.
Blessings in Christ,
Eric
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April 27, 2008 at 5:59 am
ama49
#3
I love it! Thanks for sharing. Especially the part where you said we flourish as we trust in Jesus. Another quote along those lines that I heard once was “what the Lord touches, lives.”
He is always there for us even when we don’t recognize it. As we come to Him in scripture study, prayer, thoughts and actions, we come to recognize His spirit more abundundtly in our lives.
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April 27, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Chris H
Nice post. I really like that book as well and I have found it very beneficial in my life. Man needs meaning in order to survive.
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April 28, 2008 at 1:30 am
Dan
Ironically, while driving home from church today one of my boys told me how much he hated Sunday School, and how he wasn’t any rowdier than anyone else in the class, but the teacher decided to make an example of him. He found his treatment very unfair and said he wouldn’t go to class if that substitute teacher was in charge again.
I tried to explain to him that I sympathized with how he was treated, but ultimately, neither he nor I can control what anyone else will say or do. All we can control is how we will respond to the situation we find ourself in. I asked him what he could’ve done differently himself to achieve a better result. He wasn’t quite ready for that discussion.
Perhaps later today, I’ll discuss Victor Frankl with him. Thanks for the post.
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April 28, 2008 at 3:48 pm
ama49
#5 Thanks for stopping by Chris!
#6
Dan,
I’m sure if you shared some Victor Frankl with your son, not only would he never complain about being treated unfairly in church, but he may never want to complain about anything ever again! : )
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April 29, 2008 at 10:46 pm
NM
Aaron,
I don’t know whether you are familiar with Mr. John Piper? He was recently here in the UK to speak at a conference in Wales. The theme, which seems to have some correlation to your post on suffering and the meanings that man attaches to it.
Anyhow, Mr. Piper spoke on the subject of ‘Treasuring Christ and the Call to Suffering parts 1&2’, in which (being of a reformed ilk) he argues that God, in His sovereignty actively subjected the world to suffer – because of sin, and that it is in our suffering that we might come to treasure Christ (or something along those lines!)
Is it ok to provide this hyper-link to the first lecture? If it is not ok, please feel free to delete this comment!
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