Futility of thinking is a description of meaninglessness, a feeling of uselessness, a sense of worthlessness, and an experience of emptiness. It is what Ecclesiastes expresses: "Everything is meaningless...All things are wearisome." The conclusion of atheistic philosophy, which reduces all truth to scientific description, is that we are mere biological machines with no freedom to choose and no future to hope for beyond death. Life is therefore futile. People have only utilitarian value, and can be treated as expendable. Therefore self-indulgence is the only way to enjoy what time you have on earth. That is why atheism and indifference to God is so dangerous to human value and dignity.

"Our society ignores the age-old question of the meaning of life. We busy ourselves and entertain ourselves so we do not have to think. Diversions such as drugs, alcohol, entertainment and work keep us from reflecting on life. But as wonderful as it is, life is short, painful, and - viewed from a human perspective - without much significance. If we are merely the accidental result of a 'big bang,' human existence is a cruel, cosmic joke, and no reason exists for ethical behavior. As one person put it, 'You get sick and you die, so you have to keep busy.' What would it matter if we did not exist? Humans are like grass in the desert, here today and gone tomorrow (Isaiah 40:6-8). The writer of Ecclesiastes is right, life is meaningless. Without God in the picture, nothing on this earth can comfort us if we analyze it seriously..... Pascal describes a human as a reed, but a thinking reed, all of whose dignity is in thought. The mind is the important element, but all dignity is lost when thought omits God and centers on self. Without God the mind is crosswired and without aim. Its energies go in the wrong direction...Ephesians 4:19 could have been written this morning as a telling commentary on us. We give ourselves to trivialities and diversions. Our minds are given to sports, movies and sitcoms to avoid thought. ." (Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians, p.237f.)

To recover from amnesia requires relearning your identity. You have to be tutored in your history. You need someone to help you connect the memories, the dots in your lives, to identify your relationships and to recover your skills. This is what Jesus came to do for you and for the whole human race. "Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; and to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph.4:21-24) "Take on an entirely new way of life - a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." (vv.23,24. The Message)

Rather than seeking to modify our external actions, by trying to become a better person, which is the way of moralism and legalism, the route of self-improvement and self-will, Christianity reveals that Christ has to make us new inside, in the attitude of our minds. Christ has to renew us from the inside, in our spirit, and transform us from the inside out. It is not a matter of trying to do better but of allowing Christ to reproduce his character through us. If we do this from the inner spirit then our behavior, our actions, our motivations will be changed. We are being taught by Jesus through his Spirit how to think and how to behave. He teaches us about our speech, about our emotions, about our possessions, about our work, and about our relationships. We are to put on the character of God: kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and love. We are to be imitators of God.

This, of course, is a lifelong process, which we call sanctification: being created "to be like God in righteousness and holiness." It is a daily process of seeking to be indwelt by Christ and to be filled with the Spirit so that we may have the power to put off the old self and to put on the new self. We have to deal inwardly with anger, with being productive rather than being lazy, to be a giver rather than a taker, to be a contributor rather than a consumer, to be affirming rather than critical of others. This is a continual challenge to our self-centeredness. Often we will fail and fall back into old patterns of behavior and reactions. But we learn from them how to proceed in the future. We learn from our weaknesses and our need for forgiveness.

Christianity is about a relationship with God and with one another. So nurture those relationships. Don't do anything to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. "Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted." (v.30 The Message) You can learn to love others from how God relates to you by looking at the example of Jesus. See how Christ loved you by suffering and dying in your place, to give all he had for you and your salvation. So live out his kindness and compassion to one another, forgiving each other as God in Christ has forgiven you.

"Kindness and compassion." Two of the biggest words in the Bible. Two of the biggest challenges to our human nature. They go against the culture of the world. They are polar opposites to the hardening of hearts and insensitivity of the self-centered. When we forget who we are, when we have amnesia about God and our dependency upon God, and our need of salvation, we lose kindness and compassion, our value and dignity. When Jesus comes into our lives we experience the kindness and compassion of God, and he can reproduce his character through us. We become capable of kindness and compassion to one another.

The Rev. Ted Schroder pastors an interdenominational parish on Amelia Island, Florida