According to Griff Rhys Jones, Darnley Mausoleum is "useless like a great statue is useless, or a great work of art is useless. It's also a great work of art".Sometimes people are called useless. Maybe we have said it, or it has been said to us.
I remember preparing a paper at college on Utilitarianism and at the time I was somewhat taken with this ethical theory. In some ways I still am. After all the idea of "the greatest good for the greatest number" does sound quite appealing.
The danger is, of course, that usefulness becomes the litmus test for value.
The value or worth of something, or indeed someone, cannot be defined solely in terms of its usefulness. We need to go beyond utility.
God in all his magnificent glory exists beyond anything that we can offer, yet he chooses to draw near day after day and say, "I love you".
We are not loved because of our usefulness to God (phew!). God loves us because he loves us.
Ultimately relationships are not about 'doing' they are about 'being'.
To be in Your presence
To sit at Your feet,
Where Your love surrounds me,
And makes me complete.
This is my desire, O Lord,
This is my desire.
This is my desire, O Lord,
This is my desire.
To rest in Your presence,
Not rushing away;
To cherish each moment,
Here I would stay.
This is my desire, O Lord,
This is my desire.
This is my desire, O Lord,
This is my desire.
(Noel Richards)
See also Psalm 84 and Luke 10:38-42
