A man emerges like a flower from a hidden place, suddenly revealing himself to the light of day, only to retreat into obscurity through death. The vibrancy of the flesh reveals us to the world, yet the decay of the earth conceals us from human sight. We have appeared like flowers from nothingness, and like flowers, we shall wither, having existed only temporarily. Each day, as man draws closer to death, he indeed runs like a shadow, never remaining in a fixed position.
But similarly, the sun also travels without ceasing along its course, remaining ever in motion. So why is human life compared to a shadow instead of the radiant sun? This can only be understood through the fact that when humanity severed its bond with the Creator, it lost the warmth of its heart, remaining instead in the chill of wickedness. According to the Word of Truth, wickedness increases, and love grows cold. Matthew 24:12. Thus, one who lacks warmth in their love for God, and is unable to keep the very life they cherish, is indeed rushing like a shadow. Consequently, it is fitting to label them as a fleeting shadow. Ex. 34:21. Moreover, they cannot stay in one condition, for as infancy transitions to childhood, childhood to youth, youth to adulthood, adulthood to elderliness, and elderliness leads to death, during these changes, a person is inevitably pulled toward the grave, wasting away even as life seems to stretch. We cannot anchor ourselves unchanged at any point here, as we are merely passing through to another stage; each day marks our gradual departure from life.
The first man could not have foreseen this reality before his transgression; he only perceived that time passed while he remained unchanged. However, upon transgressing, he entered a state of mutable existence, and due to consuming the forbidden fruit, he bore the weight of this change. Man suffers from these burdens both externally and internally when seeking to pursue good. The heaviness of change constantly draws his thoughts elsewhere, and unless he maintains a strict discipline, he risks slipping back into worse conditions. For a mind that has drifted from the One who is always unchanging loses its stable dwelling. Henceforth, any pursuit of improvement becomes like swimming upstream. Yet, if he relaxes his desire for rest, he is effortlessly swept back down to a lowly state. Thus, effort is required to ascend, while sinking requires no effort. The Lord advises that we must strive to enter through the narrow gate, saying, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate”. Lk. 13:24. When He mentions the narrow gate, it is crucial to note His emphasis on striving, as without a heartfelt determination, the worldly currents will pull the soul downward. Therefore, as man “comes here like a flower and fades away; he runs like a shadow, never remaining in a fixed condition,” let us consider what more he will pursue in this vein.
THEOSIS