Avoiding Nihilism Through Christ, Community, and Calling
Issue 024
JULY 25, 2018
WRITTEN BY ALISHA ASHFORD
Alisha Ashford is a Journalism major at Seminole State College. She spent her senior year of high school living as an exchange student in Spain. Now, she hosts Microchurch at the Pineapple House where students in the Sanford meet to deepen their relationship with Christ and with each other.
Nihilism - the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.
Nothing close to a new concept, Nihilism originates all the way back to ancient Greek skepticism. However, I continually find many in my generation subscribing to this way of thinking, sometimes without even realizing it. It appears the two primary sentiments among young people are pessimism and boredom.
I mean, when you think about it, how could one not be bored in a time that pretty much anything is accessible right at our fingertips? Victor Frankl, an Austrian philosopher explained the idea well when he said, “we have all the means to live, but no meaning in life.”
I think that somewhere down the line, we all face deciding what we believe is the reason for our existence. I can see how those who have never experienced the love of God can struggle to realize how abundant our purpose is. Materialism and self-indulgence are everywhere we look: makeup advertisements on Instagram, fast food billboards on street corners, and the commercials for the newest technology on TV.
It’s what causes us to think “just look like this and you’ll be loved,” “just eat this and you’ll feel good,” or “just buy this and you’ll be content.” Without the understanding that we were created to worship God, it leaves us seeking out fulfillment in fleeting things which will never fully satisfy the God-shaped hole in our hearts.
The truth is, the only way to avoid falling into the trap of Nihilism is to find a place and a purpose in this world. I am glad to say that I am no victim to this way of thinking because I believe that life is so deeply filled with purpose and meaning. With that being said, my advice to what has been called “the tragic generation” is this: find your unfading identity, find your people, and find your calling.
“It’s crazy to me, that I grew up in the church, yet it took me until this year to realize how important genuine fellowship is.”
In this day and age, it’s common for people to define themselves based off something that is subject to change. Instead of placing my identity in something like my political beliefs, my style, my appearance, or anything else that can change with the world around me, I find my identity in what I know to be the same yesterday, today, and forever. Nothing brings me more peace than to place my identity in who Christ says I am. This is something that no person, nor circumstance, can take away.
"So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
- Hebrews 13:6-8
Finding my people was made possible through the house church I have been so deeply blessed to be a part of and host in my home. Our weekly meetings have caused Thursdays to become my favorite day of the week. Having everyone here each week makes this house become a home. I have been shown what community and friendship truly is this past year.
It is a lot harder to entertain the idea that life is meaningless when you have loving people running alongside you, especially when they are all running towards the same thing. It’s crazy to me, that I grew up in the church, yet it took me until this year to realize how important genuine fellowship is. Having like-minded people around me that encourage me to chase after God, to praise him when it doesn’t seem to make sense, and to run to Jesus when I feel weary is something that has truly made me a better person.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
- Proverbs 27:17
Lastly, I urge anyone in need of avoiding this crisis of Nihilism to find a cause. Find that thing that shakes up your passion and use it for the glory of God. As believers we don’t have to search for our purpose because we already have it. To glorify God is why we were made. What’s left for us to discover through a relationship with Christ is our specific calling to carry out that purpose. When we live each and everyday with that one thing in mind, it minimizes the trials that life brings our way. We begin to understand that all of these trivial details are part of this grander picture of a story in which we have the victory in Christ.