A family member of mine, bless her heart, (you can say anything about a person as long as you add “bless your heart” – just kidding) has a thing with her fine china and silver that drives me absolutely nuts. I’ve hardly seen the china except for at Thanksgiving, and the silver has only come out occasionally to be polished. The reason? She wants to save all of the good stuff for when she lives in a nicer house and is able to entertain more.
Now, 33 years after her wedding, the good stuff is still packed away, waiting to be used.
I’ve never understood this way of thinking. Why can’t you use the dishes any time you want? Why do the circumstances have to be right for the elegance to appear?
I have also known people who own multiple cars. There is the clunker that they drive everyday, and the new one sitting virtually untouched in the garage and is only pulled out when the clunker finally dies. This again makes no sense to me. Why buy a new car just to let it sit and be in less than optimal shape when you finally start driving it?
OK, OK, there is a point to my rambling. In truth, I have my own areas where I put off things to the future that I could totally be doing now. But what seriously concerns me is the spiritual procrastination and cynicism that pervades Christendom. I know so many people who really seem to believe that Christianity is about getting saved and then just hanging on until Jesus returns or until they get to heaven. If they can just make it in, then they’ll have eternal life, abundant life.
Jesus came so that we could have real, abundant, joyful life NOW. He doesn’t want us to settle for being broken down, helpless, pessimistic, victimized people until we die, or hermits and stoics who separate themselves or their emotions from people to avoid encountering more pain. Just like with the china and silver, why should we save God’s wedding presents to us until we get to heaven? Why should we not take part in our inheritance and the benefits of being his children until years down the road when they are free for the taking now?
If we are indeed seated with Christ in the heavenlies, as Ephesians so wonderfully tells us, then why don’t we take hold of all that is given us with reckless abandonment, with joy and gratitude, and enjoy those things? Why do we insist on trying to work out our problems on our own for a while and then in desperation go to God when we could have saved ourselves so much stress?
Because our future as followers of Jesus is set, and because of our great blessings and the promises of God, I say we should pursue the most joy we can everyday. Obviously I’m not talking about hedonistic pursuits, but chasing after God to grab onto the goodness of Him and the goodness of his gifts. Pull out the china and celebrate life today, not years from now! Enjoy the blessings of that car that God gave us, and trust that if it poots out, he’ll provide us with another means of transportation. Play with the kids today, you’ll have more than enough years as an empty nester to clean the house. Hand God your worries and problems TODAY and don’t procrastinate going to him…tomorrow will have more than enough troubles of it’s own in the unlikely case that God doesn’t come through for you and you want to resort to worrying and stressing. Claim your blessings as a child of God TODAY and aim to live a victorious life NOW no matter what Satan throws at you.
In some cases, it appears Satan is winning. Loved ones submit to cancer, jobs are lost, babies die, depression and anxiety seem to strangle and cripple hearts. Some people seem to lose everything. But, in the end, everything is not lost, because Satan can’t take Jesus away from us. Jesus alone is our security, the source of peace, our comfort, our promise that all will be made right, our joy. Jesus alone is REAL LIFE.
Seeking to fully live,
I’m participating in:
