make sense? A friend and I were talking about this kind of stuff tonight. And it's like this-ok, life will never be the same. Right... Well, I keep saying that, but my dad encourages me to explain- what all does that entail? Ok, it means I'm never going to be comfortable again because I've seen a different side of things- a glimpse of the spiritual realm I think. And so I come back to that question again, "what is reality?" And on top of that, how is success measured for me now that I can see more clearly above the earthly existence? This is what I was getting at in my devotion book the other day about how everything according to the Bible is completely backwards to society. It was a study on Luke 10:1-6, where in verse 3, Jesus told his newly appointed disciples, "Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." Chris Tiegreen, the author of "At His Feet Devotional," writes, "We might prefer the company of lambs, but the wolves are needier...The price of not going into the wolves is substantially more than the cost of going, even if the lambs are sacrificed there." Quite the bold statement, eh? Quite the backwards life-according to the world, that is.
I wrote:"Everything that society is-is backwards. Even within the principle of "winning" because God calls us to think of others first, never to be self-seeking, or make earthly things our treasure; but isn't that what EVERYONE does? This is when things get difficult. So how do I carry on as normal when I realize this stuff-when everything is completely backwards-when everything is.. not normal."
2. Who is important?
3. What should I do with my life?
4. How should I act?
3. What should I do with my life?
4. How should I act?
Sinful nature answers:
[You can sluff these off as cliche, but in evaluating my life practically..they ring-unfortunately- true on a daily basis]
[You can sluff these off as cliche, but in evaluating my life practically..they ring-unfortunately- true on a daily basis]
1. Fame, money, status, position, level of other people's envy
2. Me. And of course-other people who will help make me more important
3. Whatever makes me happy
4. Take care of myself and only include other people in my life when I need them.
Godly answers:
[You can also skim over these as Sunday school answers, but sometimes you gotta realize that, yes, actually it IS that simple]
1. Bring God's love to as many people possible
2. God and others
3. What makes God happy and brings Him glory
4. Christ-like attitude of love, humility, and servanthood
T.S. Eliot advises, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." It's up to me which to choose, and I'm pretty darn sure (aka: I KNOW) the second list of answers will produce a more rewarding and fruitful life. Think- eternal life- because everything else is lost at your physical death. I know that I am called to live a radical, sometimes uncomfortable, life apart from mainstream society.
"Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice; everything is lost by failure to obey God's call." -Henry Parry Liddon
What have I got to lose in this earthly existence? We've got it wrong to think that life is all about making yourself happy until you die. God has rewards for us later and He just wants us to share His love with the world! Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that spiritual rewards are more fulfilling, exciting, and AMAZING than any prize involving a person, place, or thing in this physical life. I'm daring to simply obey and accept this dangerous mission among the wolves. I realize that means going down a different path than most, but that's ok with me.
So.. "What is reality?" Well, you're allowed to make your own suppositions on this, but I am willing to conclude that the spiritual world is more real than I, or any of us earthly beings, can imagine- and a definite true reality above anything I could ever touch or see here.
2. Me. And of course-other people who will help make me more important
3. Whatever makes me happy
4. Take care of myself and only include other people in my life when I need them.
Godly answers:
[You can also skim over these as Sunday school answers, but sometimes you gotta realize that, yes, actually it IS that simple]
1. Bring God's love to as many people possible
2. God and others
3. What makes God happy and brings Him glory
4. Christ-like attitude of love, humility, and servanthood
T.S. Eliot advises, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." It's up to me which to choose, and I'm pretty darn sure (aka: I KNOW) the second list of answers will produce a more rewarding and fruitful life. Think- eternal life- because everything else is lost at your physical death. I know that I am called to live a radical, sometimes uncomfortable, life apart from mainstream society.
"Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice; everything is lost by failure to obey God's call." -Henry Parry Liddon
What have I got to lose in this earthly existence? We've got it wrong to think that life is all about making yourself happy until you die. God has rewards for us later and He just wants us to share His love with the world! Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that spiritual rewards are more fulfilling, exciting, and AMAZING than any prize involving a person, place, or thing in this physical life. I'm daring to simply obey and accept this dangerous mission among the wolves. I realize that means going down a different path than most, but that's ok with me.
So.. "What is reality?" Well, you're allowed to make your own suppositions on this, but I am willing to conclude that the spiritual world is more real than I, or any of us earthly beings, can imagine- and a definite true reality above anything I could ever touch or see here.
