A very introspective and powerful reflection. You are indeed one of the rare people who doesn’t try to push to their absolute limits to achieve the mythical goal of unending power and fame. This piece challenged me it has inspired me to think differently about my own goals. And about what is truly important.
I was just reflecting today how, as humans, we so often make ourselves anxious and waste money, time, and the very years of our lives attempting to acquire more money, time, and years. We are obsessed with getting as much as we can in this life and making this life last as long as possible.
But only God knows the number of our days, and only the life lived in accordance with His purposes and will ultimately has any lasting value. All else is, as Solomon wrote, vanity and vexation of spirit (or chasing the wind, depending on the Bible translation you use). But therein is also comfort, for Christ promised life that extends through eternity, a life in which we will be whole and unfettered from the shackles of sin and the physical decay of earthly aging.
What we do with this life is important. But it struck me recently that it’s just the beginning of something much larger and grander.
On that note, I wonder if there will be books in heaven…?
Oh, yes! There will be books in Heaven and lots of wisdom.
Thank you for these kind and perceptive comments, Theresa. You captured the key message which is that all the striving for worldly success, power, even temporal “happiness” is ultimately futile, though it may bring a short-lived sense of personal victory or achievement.
But my happiness was never found in the outward trappings of life, and in materialistic ambition. It was found in the love of family, friends and those strangers who seem to have been destined to cross our paths here on Earth. And for me also it is found in the unending beauty, mystery and complexity of Nature, which we humans have put at great peril. We have not been good stewards of the Earth’s resources, and this there is much poverty and suffering in the world. But God has provided the path away from this temporal unhappiness and suffering. We must strive in whatever way we can to make this Earth a better place to live. And our work, careers, free time, retirements all have a place in this goal to love our neighbors as ourselves.
That all-encompassing approach to being a steward and working for God is so important. It transforms the way we look at every endeavor and gives new meaning to even the smallest task.
I feel that sometimes Christians get too far away from the reality that the physical realm will always exist and forget how important it is to steward every part of it. It struck me a couple of weeks ago that everything we do here is part of our eternal growth, something we need to learn or a skill we need to develop to serve God forever. That puts temporal existence in a whole new light--one I'm trying to see by as I move foward.
A very introspective and powerful reflection. You are indeed one of the rare people who doesn’t try to push to their absolute limits to achieve the mythical goal of unending power and fame. This piece challenged me it has inspired me to think differently about my own goals. And about what is truly important.
I was just reflecting today how, as humans, we so often make ourselves anxious and waste money, time, and the very years of our lives attempting to acquire more money, time, and years. We are obsessed with getting as much as we can in this life and making this life last as long as possible.
But only God knows the number of our days, and only the life lived in accordance with His purposes and will ultimately has any lasting value. All else is, as Solomon wrote, vanity and vexation of spirit (or chasing the wind, depending on the Bible translation you use). But therein is also comfort, for Christ promised life that extends through eternity, a life in which we will be whole and unfettered from the shackles of sin and the physical decay of earthly aging.
What we do with this life is important. But it struck me recently that it’s just the beginning of something much larger and grander.
On that note, I wonder if there will be books in heaven…?
Oh, yes! There will be books in Heaven and lots of wisdom.
Thank you for these kind and perceptive comments, Theresa. You captured the key message which is that all the striving for worldly success, power, even temporal “happiness” is ultimately futile, though it may bring a short-lived sense of personal victory or achievement.
But my happiness was never found in the outward trappings of life, and in materialistic ambition. It was found in the love of family, friends and those strangers who seem to have been destined to cross our paths here on Earth. And for me also it is found in the unending beauty, mystery and complexity of Nature, which we humans have put at great peril. We have not been good stewards of the Earth’s resources, and this there is much poverty and suffering in the world. But God has provided the path away from this temporal unhappiness and suffering. We must strive in whatever way we can to make this Earth a better place to live. And our work, careers, free time, retirements all have a place in this goal to love our neighbors as ourselves.
That all-encompassing approach to being a steward and working for God is so important. It transforms the way we look at every endeavor and gives new meaning to even the smallest task.
I feel that sometimes Christians get too far away from the reality that the physical realm will always exist and forget how important it is to steward every part of it. It struck me a couple of weeks ago that everything we do here is part of our eternal growth, something we need to learn or a skill we need to develop to serve God forever. That puts temporal existence in a whole new light--one I'm trying to see by as I move foward.