Is life the way you long for it to be?
5/30/2009
Don’t you find yourself wanting things to be at the very least calm and peaceful in your own little world? I know I can find myself daydreaming about my surroundings being serene and organized, such as my house being completely clean, and my yard not winning the neighborhood weed reward. And of course it would be nice not to have the dog next door barking his head off when I am trying to pray or at bedtime. It would also be wonderful to have all our appliances working, our cars running, our plumbing working, and all at the same time. I have also discovered myself longingly hoping for everyone in my life (including myself) to be happy and healthy, and not dealing with anything too unpleasant. I have also found myself thinking about how wonderful it would be to not be misunderstood or disliked at all. Just before I sat down to write this another bird hit my window and did not survive! Oh my, life can be trying…
Will we ever have the existence we long for? Yes, if you are a Christian! This is because the perfect existence of the Garden of Eden is given back to you, in eternity. We long for this utopia because we were created for this type of life.
If you are not familiar with Genesis, you probably don’t remember the Garden of Eden, so let me familiarize you. God would walk and talk with Adam and Eve in the garden that He had planted especially for them. In this garden was everything that would please their five senses (touch, sight, smell, taste and sound). The words die and evil were just words in an unthreatening command. The words beautiful, delightful, pleasant, glad, precious, correct, excellent, lovely, convenient, joyful, fruitful, secure, kind, and righteous describe their existence. The garden was safe, secure, and serene with just the right amount of productive work, along with a lot of pleasurable things to do. Adam and Eve had perfect harmony with God, each other and the world around them. In other words, God was visible and intimate with them; they always had perfect communion and communication with each other; and they easily ruled over the animals and their environment with loving wisdom and perfect diligence.
As Christian’s we need to constantly remind ourselves, we are just passing through this unsettling world, and that there is a much better world ahead of us. Since this earth is our temporary existence, we need to be living for the next by making it our ambition to please God. It’s the best long term investment you can make!
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, 5:9 (NLT)
Because Jesus died for me I can go to the life I have always longed for, Gini