Related but different from the issue of moral injury is our chronic moral vulnerability. It's just hard, no matter how good you are, to stay on the straight and narrow path. Here's how I describe our situation in Hunting Magic Eels. You might not like the reference to the devil, but even an atheist should appreciate the point:
When you pay attention, what you come to realize is that every inch of your life and every moment of your day is hotly contested territory. There is no neutral ground. We are always standing at a moral and spiritual crossroads. You’re dealing with a fragile marriage. A troubled child. A nasty boss. An irritating coworker. An unfulfilling job. A triggering event. A lost election. A social media feed. A traumatic past. A growing addiction. A brutal work commute. A failed dream. A stack of bills. A life regret. A closet of shame. A mental illness. A lack of friends. A social snub. A forgiveness that hasn’t been extended. A cancer diagnosis. A sin that hasn’t been confessed. A pain that hasn’t been healed. A grace that hasn’t been accepted. A grudge that continues to be nurtured.
Shall I go on?
Life is a never-ending series of moral challenges and choices. And you don’t get a moment off. There is no halftime or time-outs. Act or refuse to act, each decision determines your destiny, the moral arc of your life. The darkness is always close at hand, and we fight it off, hour by hour. The skeptical world doesn’t get this, the moral intensity and urgency of life, but the Bible sure does. As it says in 1 Peter 5:8: “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” We’ve all felt it, the moist, hot breath of the predator on our neck as we’ve stood alone the darkness. The Christian life isn’t just about moral self-improvement or getting your team to win the next election. Our days are spent in the spiritual trenches, in the private dramas of our lives, where we stand at the moral crossroads, over and over again, choosing to do the next right thing.
This is why we pray for help.
Later in Hunting Magic Eels I describe the Celtic lorica (breastplate) prayers, the most famous one being St. Patrick's, the prayers of help prayed by the Irish Christians. In a more modern vein, a prayer of help starts off the road to recovery in the first two steps in the 12 Step program: admitting you are powerless and in need of help from a Higher Power.
There might be good people out there who don't need any aid or assistance. I expect, though, most of us feel the need to lean upon something more sturdy than ourselves.
Everyone needs a little help.
