Thoughts of Faith - Don’t just endure life, love it

Is life meant to be enjoyed or endured? More often than not we endure life with all its pressures and demands. With a fluctuating and uncertain economic future, many of us face job losses or cutbacks. We live paycheck to paycheck and only hope to make it through each week without any unexpected glitches in our lives. What are we to make of this life?

How many of you really possess the abundant life that Jesus promises to give? He did say that He came to give us life, and to have life more abundantly (John 10:10). How are we to interpret this passage when the other shoe drops? How are we to enjoy life when it seems that most of our time is spent paying bills or mending relationships. Maybe the answer is defined in how we understand the meaning of life.

Too many of us think life is wrapped up in our wealth, our identity, our reputation, our possessions, our relationships, or our jobs. If you ever believe that life is defined by these things, take a long look at Ecclesiastes. King Solomon.

The wisest and richest man ever, lived his life accumulating possessions, wealth, power, and relationships only to come to the end of his life and say, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He even said, "So I hated life?" (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

I read a story about a man who went to visit a farmer. When he arrived at the farmer's home, he noticed a number of targets on the side of his barn. When the man walked up to the side of the barn to examine the targets, he noticed that there was a hole in the center of every bulls-eye. The man thought, "This famer is an excellent marksman." The man asked the farmer about the targets and complimented his marksmanship. The farmer replied, "I'm really not that good." The man was puzzled by the farmer's response until the farmer explained that he shoots the hole first then draws a bulls-eye around the hole.

Isn't this exactly what we do in our lives? We shoot for wealth and then draw the meaning of life around it. We shoot for education and draw the meaning of life around it. We shoot for intimate relationships with others then draw the meaning of life around it. You need to remember that there is nothing wrong with having money, possessions, education, or relationships, but if that is your bulls-eye, then you are aiming at the wrong target.

While these things may bring temporary fulfillment, eventually they will not satisfy the deepest part of your soul. They are only shadows pointing you to the real meaning of life: a relationship with Jesus Christ. In John 17:3, the very last night Jesus was on the earth, He prayed, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Abundant life is life in Jesus Christ.

If you want to enjoy life and enjoy it more abundantly, pursue Jesus Christ more than anything else. Make your number one priority to know more about God everyday of your life. This abundant life begins with having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by admitting your sins, believing that He died on the cross for your sins, and asking Him to be your Savior.