Bible Study Impermanence

[thepathofchrist]

Impermanence

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.†(Matthew 6:19)


Impermanence is a state where nothing remains the same. What is built will ultimately fall, what is born will die , and what comes together will eventually separate. We hold desperately to security and stability but it only takes one thief, a fire, some natural disaster, or someone leaving our life to change everything. We can be on top of the world one day and have the world upon our back the next. Contemplating upon impermanence strengthens our resolve to embrace each moment in our life instead of wasting our lives trying to strive for something that might never happen.

Jesus taught us the importance of being prepared when he spoke of the blessed servant who was ever watchful in (Luke 12:37). We can never know when we will lose someone or die . This is the reason why we contemplate impermanence . For if we did lose someone or die , we would be at peace with the one we lost or happy with our lives and the things we did.
The American culture is like the rich man who laid up for himself many years of food so he could take his ease and retire (Luke 12:16-20). Right when he was ready to retire GOD took his life from him. What good were his efforts? Would he have been better off simply enjoying and sharing his grain with those in need? We must always be prepared – for we never know when the Lord will come for us.

There are four areas of impermanence : physical , emotional , mental , and social . We can see how the physical world is impermanent by the changes of the seasons, ageing, sickness, and death . In the emotional world we can see impermanence through the constant fluctuation of the feelings and emotions we experience. One moment we might be peacefully driving down the highway and in the next moment a great rage ignites within us as we are cut off by another driver. Where did the peace go? Mentally it is easy to see how fickle and impermanent our thoughts are by simply trying to hold onto one thought or image in our mind in exclusion to all others for five minutes. Another aspect of mental impermanence is our beliefs , for just like a child whose understandings of the world change as they grow older so our understandings of GOD will change as we become more Christlike in our nature. Lastly, from the social perspective we meet new people, friends move away, family members die , we change jobs, and on and on.

Within these four areas are three times of reference: past, present, and future. The past is always behind us, the future is constantly coming, and the present is but a moment in time that never remains – even when we want it to. There are only two unchanging things in life. One is impermanence , for change will always happen and the other is the eternal present moment with GOD .

When we understand the essence of impermanence we find ourselves no longer holding onto our attachments with such vigor. Our faith and efforts strengthen and our lives become enriched with great equanimity as we let go of our concepts and beliefs that life is stable and permanent.


Things to contemplate :

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.†(Matthew 6:19)

Think about the potential of our death. Do we want to spend our life striving for something that we might not even get or accomplish?
Meditate on losing friends, family, and possessions.
Try to hold an image within the mind.
Think about the emotional plane.
Watch the earth change.
Consider how material things decay, get sick, and die.
Practices to help us understand impermanence :

Write down anything in this world that is permanent.
Every time you are in a car visualize being hit by oncoming traffic. (This is for letting go of our fear of death, not to actually create it).
Write down what your life would be like without those you care about.
Make a list of how you see impermanence in your life: Physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, desires, beliefs, etc…
Quoted from The Path of Christ: Awakening Compassion Within

 

[Atonement]

I like this.. That was a very great post thank you for sharing

 

[handy]

Thanks for sharing this.

Our family just dealt with the issue of our impermanence. My mother-in-law underwent a masectomy, chemo and radiation last year because of cancer. She had a great prognosis. Then, three weeks ago, she went back to the doctor's because of pain in her rib. After an initial test, the doctor scheduled her for a biopsy. I drove her to it yesterday.

At the same time, my mother went in for a MRI. She's been experiencing some serious issues as well.

The good news is that the biopsy showed no sign that the cancer has returned. My m-i-l talked with the doctor today, and has been given the all clear. We believe the pain in her rib area may be due to the imbalance of her body now. And, I spoke with Mom the day before yesterday, and her MRI was clear as well. Her doctor thinks the issues she's been facing is due to some medications she was on.


But, our family has been dealing with the 'what if' question for three weeks. Mom's have been around all our lives. I cannot fathom what life will be like when they both die and go to the Lord.

Yet, that is what we will have to face one of these days. It's only a matter of time.

The next verse is of course, But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

I think of both my mom and my m-i-l. Both are godly women, each of whom have racked up more than a few treasures in heaven in the 60-70 years they've been here. Surely their godly instruction and example to their children must account for something. Their prayers for us. That was one of the things I was thinking about in these past three weeks, "My gosh, if both mom's are gone, who will be my prayer warriors!?!" Since both of these women are believers, my thoughts were (selfishly) more about those of us who would be left behind, rather than any particular fear for their future.

So, thepathofchrist, thank you for the post. The part about "the eternal present moment with GOD" is most encouraging. I don't think I'll ever be 'ready' for the time when the moms and dads are gone. But, thankfully God is always right here, right now.

 

[Rick W]

Lost my Dad by suicide, I found him. Lost all my grandparents, two cousins, one aunt and two uncles. My first wife left me and the kids with another guy taking my truck, the only vehicle I had, with her. Lost my first home due to the ensuing divorce 6 months later. Lost a job of 14 years when the steel mills closed shop. I've lost 4 very good friends of mine, found two dead people drowned in a river (separate occasions). Twice in my life I carried all I owned in a small suitcase going to another part of the country. Struggled with loneliness and alcoholism, did the drug scene and did some time in jails in 4 states. Everything I did seemed to go for nought. Everything. All that before I was saved in '98.

Life stings. And for sure nothing in this world is permanent. I have nothing for retirement, I'm 54 already, my mother is 76 and my father-in-law, who I love dearly, is 80.

However, I have a short story to relate.

Two years ago in Salt Lake City I had no job, but the wife worked at Verizon. We had no car, rented low-income apartments but kept faith the Lord would provide. We thanked Him for what we did have and really meant it.

Anyway, I decided I could be unemployed in my hometown as easily as I was in SLC so the wife arranged a transfer to Pennsylvania in a place called Cranberry Township. I'm like... where? So we bought a low-dollar car, moved in with Mom, I found a job making solar cells borrowing my father-in-law's truck to get there 12 miles away while the wife commuted 65 miles one way to get to Cranberry. One year passed.

One evening Christine was surfing the net and said she found a place hiring for electronics, my field. Ok, where? Cranberry she said. Where? Cranberry. Right next door to Verizon. Got the job paying more money per hour than I've ever made before, we both now work the same shift, one new car, another with 40K miles in great shape (ditched the jealopy), bought a brick home out in the country, acre of ground, full basement, and one huge bedroom taking up the entire second story. Plenty of room for either my mother or father-in-law of which we've already talked about. Or I could die tommorow. But, who knows.

All that within two years. I could not have engineered that no matter how hard I tried.


Am I ready emotionally for my mother's death? Or my father-in-law's? No. Never will be. It'll sting. But this time around it'll be with my Lord and Savior... and my wife, who is also a strong believer. (Met her a year after being saved) I won't be so alone this time around.

Rest assured God works in your life and you may not even know it. There's a lot we take for granted or think what good happens is by our hand. Thank Him for the good too instead of remembering Him only in times of trouble because the good that does happen may not be your doing after all.

And ask for blessing. There's nothing wrong with a prayer to the Lord to bless you. And be patient. Sometimes we may not be ready for what we ask. But He'll know. Trust in Him.

 

[Solo]

Thanks for sharing that, Potluck! Very encouraging for all.

 

[Fnerb]

Very encouraging post Potluck, thanks for sharing!

One thing...

But this time around it'll be with my Lord and Savior... and my wife, who is also a strong believer. (Met her a year after being saved) I won't be so alone this time around.

I think this is huge. I have been struggling with some ... issues as of late, and it's always a great reminder when my fiance' remindes me, "No worries, God is in controll! Look at us!"

For me that is my biggest battle at times - There is just great joy and peace in sharing the gospel with others, but for some reason I struggle in letting myself partake of that peace that is with it.

But I digress...again, thanks for sharing!