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Thoughts on
life
Life, as we were reminded by
the Columbia shuttle tragedy, carries no guarantee that it will be lived
out, or ended, on our terms. We, of course, know this at some level, but
tend to push such thoughts deep inside as we get on with the everyday
business of living.
Life goes on
News of the shuttle tragedy came as I prepared to start another day of an
Internet Marketing conference. We observed an appropriate time of silence,
then stood to repeat the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. I am sure all
of us reflected briefly on the uncertainty of life, but I am just as sure
that many saw the tragedy as somehow complementary to the emphasis of that
day. I say that because the unstated theme of the conference was that you
just need to "get started" and "do it" - "it" being Internet Marketing.
Life will go on regardless, you are just wasting time and profit by not
putting into practice what is being presented here at the seminar. Yes,
you don't know when your life will end; all the more reason to live each
day to its fullest.
True, but...
I will agree there is a certain amount of truth to those statements. It is
easy to just let life go by without actively seizing each moment for its
full potential. If I didn't think that what I choose to do today matters,
I wouldn't have been at that seminar trying to learn all I could. And it
is just as true that we can neglect relationships while we concentrate on
developing our potential to advance financially. The tyranny of the urgent
can take its toll in any and all areas of our lives.
A subtle difference
Yet, while agreeing that the above statements are true, I am convinced
that there is a subtle distinction to be made about the final meaning of
those statements. That distinction is in the underlying motivation and
purpose that goes into the living of each day. I can diligently pursue
Internet marketing with a number of underlying goals. I can do so because
it may bring me wealth and influence, or merely to provide a little extra
income. But on another level, whether I am into Internet marketing is
irrelevant. I am pursuing all of life with some underlying motivation,
desire and goal. I may not take the time and effort to look at myself that
deeply, but I am still operating on the basis of some overall purpose. The
question is, what is it?
The eternal perspective
I believe that to really seize life means to seize it at its fundamental
level; to determine what really matters in an eternal perspective and
order all of life's pursuits accordingly. I can't imagine a sadder story
than to have pursued life - even passionately - only to find that I missed
the very purpose for which I was born. Like climbing the ladder only to
discover it had been leaning against a blank wall - an eternal blank wall.
I make no apologies for stating that I believe eternal meaning lies
outside ourselves - because we didn't make ourselves, we also can't
determine final meaning within ourselves. We live out some kind of meaning
in our own sphere of relationships, but if it isn't rooted in something
eternal, it will be found to have been illusory.
What is eternal?
Only God is eternal, but because we were created with His divine imprint,
a part of us will exist eternally also. He intended us to live in harmony
with Him and His purposes, but the Bible tells us we inherited a sin
nature that separates us from Him, and, left unchecked, takes us on a
trajectory to eternal separation from Him. In this condition we naturally
choose life paths that pursue meaning in physical things and human
relationships that are good in themselves but weren't intended to produce
ultimate significance, and indeed cannot. Only by becoming re-connected to
the Creator can we place things in proper perspective - participating in
and enjoying all created things while seeking ultimate significance in Him
alone.
A divine re-connection
God initiated the re-connection process by sending His Son Jesus to
become the one and only God-man. As such, He took upon Himself the guilt
and penalty for the collective sin of mankind and offers us the gift of
eternal life - that
re-connectedness for which our hearts secretly yearn. Then, all of life
becomes a passionate pursuit of the unique purpose that our lives were
intended to fulfill, satisfying because we know that everything we do here
is part of an unending existence filled with meaning. Seize life - real
life - today! |