It has a certain unattainable lure
One you can never really know for sure
Or attain through mystic tincture
So you scuttle sullen and demure
Justify proudly who you were
Like a comfy piece of furniture
You sink into your numbing blur
In the end you gasp for air, grasp for cure
You play your final overture
And the coroner without a slur
Pronounced you “dead by misadventure”
By Royce Waxenfelter 9/10/20
Personal Commentary
Bonn Scott, the lead singer of AC/DC during
their 1st four albums, died in the back seat of a friend's car after
drinking too much booze one night. The coroner pronounced his demise as “Death
by misadventure”. Learning this made me wonder, what leads to misadventure, as
opposed to adventure? I believe it boils down to this:
As humans, we aren’t perfect, but we often
either put that expectation on ourselves, or have other’s place it upon us.
Ultimately, it is what God requires for entry to eternity, yet no one on their
own can ever, ever attain perfection. Without the answer, we, as failures of
perfection, do one of two things.
One: we pretend,
erroneously, we are perfect (righteous) apart from God, or are at least doing
better than others therefore we get a pass, and thereby set ourselves up as a
god in place of the God, or...
Two: we eschew perfection
and swing the pendulum toward the prolific, open practice of sin. We
intentionally miss the mark.
At some point, in spite of fame and fortune,
Bonn Scott understood, or became subconsciously aware of, his lack of
righteousness and gave up striving toward it. He became comfortable only when
he was too numbed by alcohol to consider his failures, because doing so would
mean admitting he was a sinner, or admitting he wasn’t God. His goal then,
became death. Death over facing truth. He chose to live fast and hard, not
caring about negative consequences, because those consequences would serve his
goal.
Bonn Scott’s death by misadventure can serve as
a lesson to us all, if we are paying attention. Do you want to die amiss?
Without purpose? Are you striving to miss the mark? To accept life as a
misadventure? What is the cost of doing so?
There is an alternate, and the alternate is true
adventure.
What is true adventure? Is it something you
decide is fun? Is it something someone decides to tell you is their idea of
fun? Is adventure an escape from reality? Is it temporary relief from pain? Is
it just not being bored?
The key is to ask: what does adventure, in its
purest form, lead to? The answer is joy. Humans experience joy through
exhilaration, sensation, unification, justification, even domination, among
others. But what type of joy lasts? Where does joy come from? Which joy is the
most enduring and meaningful? Which joy can we harbor in our very soul and
count on foundationally to lean on day in and day out, regardless of the
curveballs life throws our way?
Essentially, a joy that gets renewed every day,
is the only joy with enough sustainability to endure life’s trials. What could
possibly renew joy every day? Hope.
Isn’t hope hollow? Like the promises of a
politician? It certainly can be, if the hope is placed in anything temporary.
But what happens when hope is placed in eternity? If eternity never goes away,
does the hope of eternity go away? Not if it’s grounded in something concrete
and equally eternal.
The Bible tells of us such a grounded, concrete,
eternal hope, hope that leads to joy, a joy which leads us on a true,
meaningful, soul satisfying adventure.
(See the verses posted below for just some of
the joy God provides for us.)
Lasting joy comes by way of being right, or not
failing. You, nor I, can ever achieve that ideal, but we can accept it as a
gift from the God of Heaven by way of his humble act of giving Himself in our
place as atonement for the failures we commit.
The answer to attaining the righteousness
required for eternal joy is Jesus’s sacrificial act on the cross, and act which
overcame sin and was indeed the satisfaction and overcomer of the ineptness of
mankind’s sins. Christ bridged the gap between the sins of man and the
perfection of God.
To summarize:
Until the time eternity
begins we can rest in the assurity of eternal hope and walk daily on a true,
meaningful adventure, knowing the adventure leads to a joy-filled destination.
In other words, we can
reach Heaven by accepting that Jesus is God and He died in place of our sins so
that we might find hope now and joy eternal.
Bible verses about joy:
John 17:13
But now I come to You; and these things I speak
in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves
Psalm 16:11
You will make known to me the path of life; In
Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures
forever.
1 Peter 1:8-9
…and though you have not seen Him, you love Him,
and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with
joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the
salvation of your souls.
Acts 16:29-34
And he called for lights and rushed in, and
trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought
them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in
the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
And they spoke the word of the Lord to him
together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the
night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his
household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and
rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 35:10
And the ransomed of the LORD will return. They
will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness
and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah 55:12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in
peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the
trees of the field will clap their hands.
John 16:22
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I
will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
Psalm 4:7
You have filled my heart with greater joy than
when their grain and new wine abound.
Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let
them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love
your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 16:9
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices; my body also will rest secure
Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you
will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right
hand.
Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy
to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 20:5
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all
your requests.
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart
trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks
to him in song.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor
lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the
morning.
Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed
my sackcloth and clothed me with joy
Psalm 71:23
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to
you–I, whom you have redeemed.
Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of
joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of
joy, carrying sheaves with him.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your
wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.
Isaiah 12:2-3
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not
be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my
salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Matthew 13:44
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden
in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and
sold all he had and bought that field.”
Matthew 25:21
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
John 15:11
I have told you this so that my joy may be in
you and that your joy may be complete.
John 16:24
Until now you have not asked for anything in my
name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Acts 2:28
You have made known to me the paths of life; you
will fill me with joy in your presence.’
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice!
James 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you
face trials of many kinds
1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice that you participate in the
sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let
them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love
your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 16:9
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices; my body also will rest secure
Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you
will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right
hand.
Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy
to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 20:5
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all
your requests.
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart
trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks
to him in song.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor
lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the
morning.
Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed
my sackcloth and clothed me with joy
Psalm 71:23
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to
you–I, whom you have redeemed.
Psalm 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of
joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of
joy, carrying sheaves with him.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your
wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.
Isaiah 12:2-3
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not
be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my
salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Matthew 13:44
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden
in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and
sold all he had and bought that field.”
Matthew 25:21
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
John 15:11
I have told you this so that my joy may be in
you and that your joy may be complete.
John 16:24
Until now you have not asked for anything in my
name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Acts 2:28
You have made known to me the paths of life; you
will fill me with joy in your presence.’
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it
again: Rejoice!
James 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you
face trials of many kinds
1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice that you participate in the
sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Psalm 32:11
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those
who weep.
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