Friday, March 7: Eric Ewing

Ezekiel 18:21-23, 25-32. But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all my statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. 

Ezekiel 18 is about how God deals justly with individuals. The voice of God declares that sinners will die and the righteous shall live. The transgressions of a sinner are his/hers alone and an individual is only accountable for his or her own actions, not those of his/her family or associates.

As I read this passage I’m struck by my own experience that when I live in accordance with what I know to be good I feel alive. I feel connected with God. When I act in a manner that is contrary to what I know is good I feel less connected with God. I can even get to a place where I feel dead. The decisions I make and the actions I take have a direct impact on how “alive” or “dead” I feel. My actions lead to an experience of connection with or abandonment from spirit.

“I am alive. Who is this aliveness? I am.” The words of this song I once heard echo through my mind in times of doubt, depression, and worry. My aliveness is my connection with God and it hungers for deeper connection. My aliveness is my unique gift to the world. My unique expression. When I embrace righteousness I connect more deeply with God in that moment and I choose to live. I become vital.

— Eric Ewing