This area's NPR station recently carried a past interview with the late motivational poet, Matthew "Mattie" Stepanek (also Stephanek). Noted for this thought and articulative abilities, Mattie's writings attained considerable recognition - two of his five volumes making the New York Times best sellers list.
Mattie's insights and contributions were all the more remarkable in that both he and his mother were afflicted with a rare form of muscular dystrophy - three siblings having earlier succumbed to the illness. Far from brooding over his confinement to a wheelchair and need for mechanical assistance in breathing, however, Mattie viewed himself rather as having been called to inspire hope in others and serve the interests of peace in a tension-ridden world.
Mattie appeared on various nationally syndicated TV shows and ultimately became a personal friend of former President Carter, whom he much admired for his humanitarian endeavors and involvement with Habitat for Humanity. As such, Mr. Carter would deliver the eulogy at the poet's funeral in June of 2004. At the time of his death, Mattie Stepanek was thirteen years of age.
It brought to mind the Southern Gospel song, "This world is not my home; I'm just a passing through." While a certain validity attends the sentiment, the fact remains that we are not placed on this earth with a view to merely finding its exit - "Gettin' Ready to Leave This World" notwithstanding. As believers, we are here, first of all, to serve the outflow of God's grace to a lost and hurting world in terms of the more immediate as well as eternal interests. Our entry into that final glory of which we often sing will follow in its time.
Paul describes the tension inherent faith's two-fold perspective as follows: "Living to me means simply 'Christ,' and if I die I should merely gain more of him. I realize, of course, that the work that I have started may make it necessary for me to go on living in this world. I find it hard to make a choice" (Phil. 1:21-24, Phillips).
Mattie was strongly committed to his Christian faith and, knowing of his limited life span, also wrote of his anticipation of heaven. While not to be seen as profound theological treatises, our point here is that to a remarkable degree he saw the need for making an effort to address life's current ills, particularly in terms of a lack of peace and hope.
Upon Christ's return, "all nations" (i.e., everybody) will be called to account for the concern evidenced in relation to present human distress and want (Matt. 25:31-46). Hence the apostle's exhortation: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith" (Gal. 6:10).
As believers, might it be that in our quests to achieve a certain "otherworldliness" we may at times miss something in the here and now?
Burl Ratzsch
