| Blaise Pascal was a 17th-century mathematician and philosopher who had a dramatic religious experience in his early thirties. Out of that experience came a work entitled “Pensées,” a collection of his ruminations and thoughts. In thinking about his conversion, Pascal wrote this: |
|---|
| All complain, princes and subjects, noblemen and commoners, old and young, strong and weak, learned and ignorant, healthy and sick, of all countries, all times, all ages, and all conditions . . . |
|---|
| He recognized a tendency for each of us to feel like our struggle is unique. Maybe if we lived somewhere else or had another job, things would be different. Perhaps if we were older or we could go back and do it over, we could find a way to achieve the peace we lack. Pascal suggested that everyone in every position struggles with a sense of unrest and emptiness. He goes on to say: |
|---|
| What is it, then, that this desire [for peace] and this inability [to find it] proclaim to us, but that there was once in man a true happiness of which there now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the comfort he does not receive from things present . . . |
|---|
| He basically says that this desire is an indication that true peace and happiness are possible. But in humankind’s state, we’ve forgotten the source. So, in vain, we end up grasping for joy in the people and things around us. That’s when Pascal reminds us: |
|---|
| But these are all inadequate because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, by God himself. |
|---|
| You’ve probably heard Pascal’s quote that there’s a God-shaped vacuum in every heart that only God can fill. That infinite void in our hearts can only be filled with the limitless love of the infinite God. This profound thought is beautifully portrayed in a short film entitled “Infinite Abyss.” Even as people who follow Jesus, it’s easy to look for peace and joy elsewhere. We pray this film can be a good reminder to find your happiness at the infinite source of love and grace. Watch “Infinite Abyss” today, and share it with others who need the reminder, too! In Him, |
|---|
*Jesus Film Project News, 09.01.2021
Larry Buck's Blog: 