March 17

Luke 2

The best-selling book, "Not Quite What I Was Planning," asked people to reduce their purpose in life to 6 words. The book is filled with six-word phrases that state their reasons for living. Here are a few of them:

"Followed rules, not dreams. Never again." – Margaret

"After you jump, the net appears." – Vincent

 "Please have your travel documents ready." – Jimmie   

"Outcast. Picked last. Surprised them all." - Rachel

"I colored outside of the lines."-  Jacob

"Never really finished anything, except cake." -  Carletta

"Woman Seeks Man--High Pain Threshold."  - Anonymous

If the prophetess Anna were to write hers, if might be something like this, "Loved God with all my heart."

Yet a CNN feature news segment on her life might be labeled, "84-year old woman wasted her life." Her lifestyle couldn't be more opposite than life in Fairfield County, yet she was one of the few invited to the birthday party of Jesus. Here is a woman who spent her entire life worshiping, fasting, meditating and praying.

Our culture does not value the contemplative lifestyle. It seems the goal of everyone's life these days is to be busy. People love saying, "I am so busy." We live in a world where every moment of the day has to be filled with noise and activity. But is this a healthy goal to pursue?  

Think in terms of the big picture. We may live 75 or 80 years on this earth, but we are going to spend trillions of years in eternity. Our lives on earth are a warm-up act, a mere dress rehearsal for the real show. Wouldn't it be wise for us to practice on earth what we will be doing in eternity forever?  We were made by God and for God, and until we figure that out, life just isn't going to make sense. The people who are really wasting their lives are the people who are ignoring God because they are playing with the temporary toys here on this planet.

In the end God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ's likeness. So use every moment of your life to get to know and love your God.