Getting through Life

Getting through life.  That’s sort of a discouraging way of looking at life isn’t it?  It suggests that life is a drudgery.  Every step is like sloshing through ankle deep mud.  Step after step after step.  No progress.  No purpose.  Nothing but a constant day in day out struggle.  Life has to be more than this, doesn’t it?

I would like to say, “I hope so,” but I can’t.  I don’t hope so.  I know so.  That’s a pretty arrogant comment isn’t it?  How do I know so?  How can little ‘ol me be so certain when many of the great minds in the history of humanity have wondered about this life and what it means?  I know so because God said so.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “that’s an awful naive way of looking at things.”  But, let’s take a minute to think about it.  Let’s acknowledge for just a moment that we had to come from somewhere, or more specifically someone.  That someone would have to be more intelligent and more powerful than we are. Furthermore, surely someone of this immense ability would reveal Himself to us.  He would let us know He is there.  When we look around, we see the evidence of God.  While the world around us points towards God, the Bible is His revelation to us.  God did take the time to tell us about Himself.

It stands to reason then that this great giver of life would be the one most suited to help us understand it.  He would be the one best able to help us live life to its fullest.  We tend to run from place to place trying to find fulfillment in life.  We think money can buy happiness.  It can’t.  We buy (or charge) more and more thinking that things will fill the void.  It doesn’t.  We try to be popular and successful.  Again, no real answers.  Pleasure?  We can’t find the right one to truly satisfy. 

There is a guy like this in the Bible.  He was smart and successful.  He was very wealthy.  He had all the things that money could buy.  On top of that, he was the most powerful man in his country.  He was the king of Israel, and his name was Solomon.  Listen to what he said, “Everything is meaningless, completely meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NLT).  He goes on to say, “What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content” (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 8, NLT).

Solomon was doing everything he could just trying to get through life.  He was exhausted.  Nothing was good enough.  Nothing meant anything.  Winning the rat race wasn’t worth the prize.  He had tried it all.  Money, toys, success, fame, women, pleasure, education – everything!  In the end, he was a train wreck. 

How can we get through this thing called life?  Solomon summarized the lessons of his life with this comment, “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NLT).  We might use a little different language, but the point is the same.  To really get the most out of life, we need to be connected with God.  In the New Testament, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV). 

Jesus never promises us that He will make us wealthy.  He never says we will have a trouble free life.  He does promise to always be with us and to always be working in our lives.  He promises to keep us with Him forever.  He simply offers us the way to really get the most out of this life and the next.  Let me encourage you to quit tyring to “get through life.”  Start really enjoying it.  Let Jesus show you how (if you would like to know more, see the Connecting with Jesus page).