It’s crazy to think that some of the poorest people around the world are some of the richest in spirit. Time and time again money and materialistic things prove to not be enough. There always has to be more. If we keep living in the “if I just had…” we’ll never be truly living at all. Every man dies but not every man truly lives. What a sad life to never find contentment, seeking pleasure after pleasure. If our life revolved around pleasures then there would never be enough food, sex, or alcohol out there. Life under sin is not life at all. It’s death. True happiness cannot be found in anything unless it is first found in God. Earthy pleasures will never fully sustain you. We should all be focused on our eternal home in heaven, building our treasures up there.
The Lord gave King Solomon everything: money, fame, girls…and guess what? He still wasn’t content. Surprise? Even today someone such as Tom Brady struggles with this. He’s a famous football player with a model wife, definitely well known, and has loads of money but he is still saying “Is this it? There has to be more.” Why do so many people strive for that goal in life? “If I just had money then I’d be happy. If I just had the perfect husband (or wife) then life will be grand. If I just had the perfect job, then everything would fall into place.” I hate to break it to you, but none of that is true.
How beautiful the world would be if we got out of our own heads and stopped focusing so much on our problems. The sad thing is that the Lord has given each and every one of us immense blessings but once something doesn’t work out the way we thought it would then we focus completely on that little problem and miss all the blessings He’s throwing our way. Why do we do that?
For instance, my parents got divorced when I was seven but their separation was what pushed my mom into taking us to church. It’s so easy to fixate on the divorce and all the issues that followed with that but I probably wouldn’t have had the church family that I have now if it didn’t happen. I know I wouldn’t be who I am today without that happening. I’m not at all justifying the divorce. But it’s beautiful to see the Lord use such sinful situations to glorify Him.
What if instead we intentionally started focusing on all of our blessings? How different would our life be? Our relationships, our jobs, how we react to things would be far more uplifting and eternally focused. In the end, life isn’t about being happy, it’s about God. What if we pushed aside the thoughts of “You can’t do anything”, “It’s easier to just stay at this job, this situation, with these friends than to follow you.” He tells us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” That’s a commandment, not a calling. That doesn’t mean come to El Salvador with me or go to Africa and work in an orphanage. All of our callings are different but if you know in your heart that you’re supposed to be somewhere other than where you are right now, then go. Risk it all. He’s worth it. He’s worthy of our best. A life for the Lord is a life worth living. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. I dare you to move.
