At what other time in history could we all come together in such a small place as in our own homes? We connect through the internet in various forms of social media.
We can take peeks into other people’s lives and admire how much they have or what they have accomplished. What we forget is that those individuals are generally presenting a life that doesn’t really exist. They are choosing to show us what they would like their life to be seen as rather than showing it in its entirety.
They pose their shots and their locations. They don the clothes that work to their advantage. They are really actors giving us a show. They may be using their own houses, etc. But my guess is that it is a cleaned up corner and not what their house would look like in their day-to-day living.
It reminds me of the two times in my life when I staged the houses which we were selling. It wasn’t that I bought things and brought them in. Rather, I culled out most of our belongings and showed prospective buyers a pared down version.
Each time, my husband, kids and I said this is the way we should live all the time. Of course, there was nothing in the house to do! All of our hobbies and books and other fun such stuff was hidden in storage. So, it would be a simple and elegant way to live but one that would not allow any one of us to be creative.
There has to be a happy medium and I am now trying to find it. I’ve found that giving away the collections of a lifetime is difficult and time-consuming in a physical sense. In a spiritual sense, it is wonderful and fulfilling.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m still keeping the things and hobby tools that mean the most to me and which I will be working with. To give those away would be foolish as I would be out buying them again in the near future.
Just as our houses are filled, so are our lives. We fill up our days to the bursting point. We try to find time to do the things we should do but, frankly, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.
Then there are those who may not have their priorities on quite straight. My husband told me recently about an on-line campaign to get the bagel emoji (from Apple) changed. It apparently didn’t look quite right. It wasn’t handmade, it wasn’t toasted and it didn’t include cream cheese.
While I agree those are things that are great on a bagel (though as someone lactose intolerant, I used to opt for a toasted bagel with a slice of tomato, green onion and avocado – but that was just me), the amount of time and effort which went into getting this emoji changed is a little questionable.
Just image what people could do that would really improve their life instead of spending time getting a picture they use on their phones changed to their liking. I would think that most of us could get something real accomplished but this is where our lives are heading these days.
We are looking at the unrealistic and the things that really don’t matter and somehow trying to mold our lives to those things. There isn’t anything spiritual there and, at heart, we are a spiritual people. Some may say that we are animals, which is something that I don’t agree with. Regardless of how we physically view ourselves, we still have our hopes and our dreams.
Those are of the spirit and not of the flesh and bone. Instead of looking outward at the trappings of our lives, we should look inward first. Once our hearts and thoughts are in the right place, then we can look to the outer trappings of our lives to change them.
Looking inward is hard and difficult. Most people won’t like what they see. They know their true thoughts and feelings and they know that they are lacking. Who wants to admit, even to themselves, that they don’t quite measure up?
The truth is that none of us measure up. We are all sinners and we sin every day. If you say otherwise, hey, you’re lying and that is a sin all by itself.
Being sinners, we have no way to undo and remake ourselves. We need someone to take us in hand. Someone to remove the taint of our sin from our lives and to teach us a better way, the real way and the only way to live.
God, in his mercy, sent his son to become one of us. He did it knowing the price he would pay. He became a man, a human just like the rest of us. He lived like we do but was able to live without sin. Imagine what it would be like to give up heaven to come to earth in a body made up of essentially dust and water.
It wasn’t easy for the man Jesus to give up his life and suffer the outrageous pain of crucifixion. He even prayed to not have to do it and for God to find another way to fix humankind. At the same time, he also told God that he was willing to do the hard thing if that was what God willed. And it was.
So the man Jesus went through horrible suffering and mocking and scorn of the people he was doing this to save. Even his best friends abandoned him and denied him. Not one person stood up for him or asked to take his place. No, not one. He was the only one who could and would make the ultimate and perfect sacrifice.
When Jesus hung on the cross, in pain, he looked out over the entire creation which he, as the Word of God had created. He saw each of us in turn and what we were and how we sinned. One by one, he was willing to die for us.
I sometimes think of the wounds that he suffered. It wasn’t the pretty sugar coated version of little nails in the palms. It would have been big, ugly, hand wrought spikes that would have been placed in his wrists and his ankles. I can’t begin to imagine the pain as the hours went on and on.
As much as it pains me to think of that day, I can only be incredibly happy that Jesus was willing to go through that for me. He gave up his life to give me new life and for that, I will forever be grateful.
I look forward to the day when I get to heaven and am able to see his wounds in person. You see, Jesus is still in his human form though he has been resurrected in an eternal form that we Christ followers will one day share. We will forever see his wounds. He is forever the sacrifice that saved us.
I hope you stop looking at social media for the way to a good life. Look instead to your father in heaven and to Jesus for loving you. Find this truth and ask the Holy Spirit to help guide you.
Once this is done, you can start paring back your life to one that is realistic and workable. You will be able to better set priorities because you will know the true center of your life. In doing so, you will begin to build your world to revolve around God.
Matthew 19:17-26
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied,“ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”