Blaise Pascal

So, I heard a quote from him this morning that turns out to be this, paraphrased into modern and simple English:

"There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ."

While he technically never said this in so many words, he certainly believed it and used much loftier words to express it. Either way, it is true and goes along with this quote I found and love:

"We would never travel on the sea if we had no hope of telling about it later... We lose our lives with joy provided people talk about it... Even philosophers wish for admirers."

This is the ca. 1650s, so travel was confined to sea travel, but the point is even more relevant today. Back then only the wealthy could afford to travel and be admired as "cultured," "worldly" and so on because of the things they have "seen" or "experienced". Today, most Americans can travel (if they have a high enough credit limit anyway) and the human heart has not changed. We go to Bermuda for a week so we can spend a lifetime telling people about it. I have been troubled by this for some time. True joy can only be found in God, and as Solomon concludes Ecclesiastes (12:13-14):

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man's all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

Pascal was quite a prodigy, coming to the attention of the best French thinkers like Descartes by the age of 16 for mathematical proofs. He was also advanced in physics, philosophy, theology and literature. After converting to true Christianity, he put aside most of the math and science and focused on defending the faith and understanding God. No doubt, modern scientists curse the day that Pascal found God much the same as they do with Newton, who spent the majority of his life studying God instead of advancing science.