This Life

In this life it’s so easy to get caught up with all the busyness of life…family, work, church activities, time with friends, projects around the house, saving money, spending money, working hard to achieve the “American Dream.” These can all be good things, but they can also be distractions that keep us from our true purpose here on earth.

I’ve been thinking a lot about life lately…well really for the past year or so. Several different events have spawned this deep reflection…mostly the deaths of young people–a young mother (my age) who had just had her second baby weeks before her death; several babies who were only on this earth for a few short hours; other babies who never made it out; a young man who is dying from a brain tumor; several children tragically killed in car accidents; the list goes on. Why do these things happen? And all these people are good people who’ve done nothing to bring these calamities on themselves.

I have several conclusions…#1) As much as I can’t understand these events & why they happen, I have to know that the Lord knows they happen and He allows them to happen. Why? For His ultimate glory. And as I think about each of these occurrences…yes, the Lord has indeed been glorified in so many ways. (John 9:1-3)

#2) As significant as these events are, I have to know that in the grand scheme of things, they are but a dot in eternity. (I know this is so difficult for our finite minds to grasp.)

#3) He uses these occurrences to bring us to Himself & show us how much we really need Him.

#4) Life is short. I need to spend mine wisely. I need to not waste time on the things of this life that truly don’t matter.

This week I started a Bible study on Proverbs. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov 1:7) What is walking in the “fear of the Lord?” It is having such awe, reverence & respect for Him that I trust Him and submit to Him first & foremost. This is what this life is all about. I don’t have to understand everything…and won’t understand everything, but if I truly trust Him, I will have peace in the midst of hard times. It’s not about the circumstances; it’s about my perspective…my mindset.

I have to remember that I am not on this earth to have the perfect life & be happy. I’m here to glorify God in every way possible. He will orchestrate circumstances to make this happen in my life. And once I figure this out (and truly live by it,) I will be happy because I am fulfilling His purpose for me–to glorify Him…no matter what the circumstances.

2 Cor 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”