Moral Talents

The heart-led way is the path of moral excellence, for the heart is the seat of human moral awareness.

The human instinct for survival is a natural part of fleshly existence. In the Garden of Eden, it was never an issue; the Tree of Life is symbolic of that. Once driven from the Garden, we were subjected to all the vulnerabilities of mortal existence.

It is natural in our fallen world that humans would emphasize material prosperity, fleshly comfort, living long and passing on the DNA. Notice that all of those are missing from the Garden. Also notice how God’s covenant promises insist that those are His concern, not ours. Our covenant duty has always been to focus on moral questions instead.

In the New Testament, we learn that a focus on moral questions is not native to our fleshly existence. Moral awareness depends on having an eternal focus; the flesh is not capable of that alone. Indeed, the whole point is that the flesh must be condemned in order to move toward moral prosperity.

In everyday life, you can see this. It’s so obvious that we take it for granted. Humans focus on safety, health and comfort. Our fleshly natures instinctively associate with those who possess talents to maximize those three things. Thus, we care more about intellectual acumen, charisma and physical capability than anything else. And nobody gives a damn about moral talent except as an afterthought.

Yet, in the Covenant of Christ, moral talent trumps every other consideration. The moral sphere is the only part of our world that overlaps with Eternity. Everything is measured by moral insight. Moral insight is a manifestation of something with a far higher purpose.

I chose my wife first on the basis of her moral talents; everything else was secondary. Over the years, she has constantly produced moral peace in my life. Under the Covenant, everything can be forgiven except moral wretchedness. Aside from minor mistakes that we all tend to make, my Beloved has been consistent on this one thing: her moral instincts have always been superb. Here toward the end of our earthly lives, I can affirm that this was easily the smartest choice I’ve ever made.

God implanted in me a drive for moral excellence. It hardly matters what I chose so much as why. I can assure you it meant turning aside material prosperity quite often, because that prosperity was always tied to something that morally offended me. My intellectual path was also guided by moral concerns, so that I invested myself in studies of moral truth first and foremost.

The Lord has prospered this. Today I tend to choose companions first and foremost on their moral talents. I’m not too concerned with their other talents, charisma, etc. The one thing I really need to see is moral focus. I will climb over a lot of fleshly discomfort and worldly failure to keep a strong connection to someone with moral talents.

Moral talent does not require intellectual gifts, nor material wealth, and it has its own charisma. Some of you who have gotten close to me over the years probably already know this, at least subconsciously: I was drawn by your moral charisma. It’s one thing to be open to everyone who approaches, but I cling to those who manifest the moral genius in common with our Savior.

Do you understand that, of all His human capabilities, the one that mattered most of was His moral genius?