Looking at the world around me, this design, looking outside and seeing the hills, the valleys, the mountains, the rivers, the lakes, the rainforests, the desert landscapes, not to mention cultures, of every tribe, every tongue and every nation; you can’t help but wonder. We live in a magnificent place, yet, because of all the busyness that everyone experiences, we fail to come to terms with the beauty of the world that we live in. We as a society fail to grasp the question of the purpose of our visit to the planet Earth.
Earth is one of many planets, the only planet in our solar system with any known form of life sustainable on it. And the solar system is one of many systems in the Milky Galaxy, one of the galaxies within the known universe. Scientists even reckon that the universe is expanding, that there are areas that they haven’t discovered yet; that there are areas that they’ll never fully discover. Looking at the awesomeness of the universe makes me stop in awe. Sometimes, generally on a cold winters’ night, as I look up into the sky, while we’re eating dinner, or while I’m in my room studying for university; I just stare up at the stars, and wonder how many of them there are. And from reading my fair share of books, listening to the news; I’ve noticed that everyone is starting to ask the fundamental questions- where did we come from? Where are we going as a society? And most importantly, why are we here on Earth?
Because if we are told that all that there is to life is to build a career, success in the corporate sector in terms of rising up the hierarchical structure at work, if all there is to life is to eat, drink, work, retire, coast along, and then die, then what is the point? I say that because I know, and I’m sure that everyone else knows, that we won’t take anything with us when we cross the grave. Nothing! We will leave this world just as we came, with nothing. So why do we need to ‘make ourselves great’, why do we need to build up our careers, why do we need to work to 65, if we know that it may only take a fall to place us into a coma? And then we’re not going to enjoy the fruits of our labour, we’re not going to take the trips that we’re thinking of doing when we’re retired. Because ultimately, yearning in everybody’s heart, is the wanting for us to be noticed, if not by our parents, then by our friends, or possibly by the media. We see slogans on billboards and ads on TV, and these are designed to appeal to the need that is sitting deep inside of every single one of us, this desire to be great, just like ______. (You can place whoever you idolise in that space). If you eat this food, drink this drink, wear this perfume, or support this charity that your favourite person is involved in, then you can become like them... or so you start to think. The products are being sold because we as a society are responding, we really want to be great, like _________.
But I tell you straight, we are not made to 'make ourselves great'. Sure, we all have talents, but what happens if our talents and passions that we have inside us become our purpose? If it starts to define our existence, then we ought to stand back and evaluate, and think, 'Am I undertaking this task for the right reasons?' Maybe in the beginning, but perhaps along the way, our vision becomes cloudy. We start to lose sight of what God has planned in our lives from the very beginning of time. Those dreams in your heart that you had when you were younger, those ones that over time, were quenched for whatever reason? Chances are, if they are being used as a testimony to your faith, that God has placed them there for you and only you to accomplish. If you love to draw, and drawing brings people to God, then you need to think, is this your calling in your life? But even then, your 'job', your 'family', your 'passion', shouldn't take the place of the One you worship. We need to be aware that even though we say 'we worship God', and of course we do; other indicators may tell us different. Louie Giglio's book 'The Air I Breathe' puts this simply; "...everyone has an altar. And every altar has a throne. So how do you know where and what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money and your loyalty. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship..."
Think about this as I start writing another post and post it tomorrow... we all have little altars in our lives. But what really matters is this. Regardless of whether we truly surrender our dreams into God's hands (and I pray that each one of you do!), at the end of the day, God always works all things to the good for those who love Him and seek to do His will!
Until next time,
Jon.
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