Many, many years ago Brenda Lee sang a lament, “Is This All There Is?” As a famous entertainer she had it all - but it wasn’t enough.
Humans are a restless lot. Nothing on this earth satisfies beyond the moment. We’re always, always looking for the new thrill, the next relationship, the new movie, next year’s model, bigger, better, newer. Just as though it will make an important difference in our lives, we listen with eager anticipation as companies tell us of the latest gadget they’ve produced. And then we rush out and spend another $200.00 only to find that a “better” gadget has been produced ten months later. Whatever we have isn’t good enough. We’ll go for decades, some people for their whole lives believing, “I'll be happy if . . .”
My kids want to be teenagers
Then they’ll want to be adults
Then they’ll want a committed relationship
Then they’ll want kids
Then they’ll want their kid’s to be grown and gone
Then they’ll mourn an empty next
Then they’ll want to retire and when they retire they’ll remember with longing the days when they were carefree children.
The reason that we cannot find contentment in this life is because we long for something that can’t be found in this life. We can come close, but even as Christians, “We . . . groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:3. The Holy Spirit, who is God, walking along side us in and through our difficulties, is just a foretaste of the fullness of God’s presence that will be ours in the near future.
In my own life contentment was elusive UNTIL Jesus came into my life. Despite increased hardship and difficulty, every year since becoming a Christian has been better than the year before. I simply do not long for “more,” anymore. Because of Jesus, I have all I’ll ever need.
That’s what makes me richer than Donald Trump. I know that I’m richer that Trump, because I have enough and he doesn’t.
“Our hearts are restless until they find rest in God.”
“I will give you living water and you will never thirst again.”
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That’s what makes me richer than Donald Trump. I know that I’m richer that Trump, because I have enough and he doesn’t
ReplyDeleteYou realize, of course, that this is consistent with pre-Christian atheist philosophy, right?
"there is no god no devil no heaven no hell jesus never existed and the bible is mythology"
ReplyDelete40 year old atheist.
I guess he hasn't heard from Hugo that atheists all believe the Bible to be accurate historically.
...
ReplyDeleteThen they’ll want to retire and when they retire they’ll remember with longing the days when they were carefree children.
The reason that we cannot find contentment in this life is because we long for something that can’t be found in this life.
This was sounding so Buddhist for a while I thought you might start talking about ending desire and Nirvana.
@Thesauros
ReplyDeleteShopping for insults?
Ask that '40 year old atheist' if he thinks the Bible is only mythology.
Ask him if he thinks that everything written in it happens in purely fictional worlds, with purely fictional character.
Can you do that? or, if it's not someone who talked to directly, can you imagine the answer?
If he were to answer 'Yes', that would mean he is completely ignorant and/or fucking retarded...
After doing that little thought exercise, you could try to expose how you determine what parts of the Bible are true or not. You have yet to explain why some weird parts are symbolic, and some other weird parts are not...
But we all know you won't; your mind is closed to such inquiries. Some people claim to have "seen" Jesus rose from death and that's enough proof for you... sad, very very sad.
You know that people claim to have seen Mohammad ascend to heaven on an horse, right? I guess you don't believe that story though, do you? Does it mean you think Mohammad never existed?
Awwwww the real world is such a wonderful thing to explore and yet we have these borderline crazy people who think that we "cannot find contentment in this life is because we long for something that can’t be found in this life".
Yet these same people seem to be the ones who know the less about that real life we are experiencing. Ironic isn't it? The only contentment I am truly afraid of never getting is not knowing enough. I know my life will be too short for me to learn about all that I would like to learn.
Anyway, thx for the consultation Rod, it was nice to express these random thoughts... ;)
Your Bible says lying is evil, Thesauros. Why do you behave as if you disagree with it?
ReplyDeleteI guess he hasn't heard from Hugo that atheists all believe the Bible to be accurate historically.
ReplyDeleteHugo never said that, and atheists don't believe it. Two lies in a single sentence.
Leave it to a Christian to sin twice as often as the rest of us...
WEM,
ReplyDeleteJesus has forgiven him, he can lie all he wants.
Loophole, baby!
True enough, Anon.
ReplyDeleteI've personally come to believe that Thesauros isn't a Christian. It comforts him to imagine that he IS one, though, so he pretends to be the holder of an objective morality. A morality that he cheerfully rejects with his behavior.
This is not how a Christian would act.
It's Peggy Lee not Brenda. And it's empty nest not empty next. An editor would have a field day with this post. And BTW most of your readers don't need to be reminded that the Holy Spirit is God. Finally, take a look at "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. This a collection of conversations and letters written by him in the late 1600s, which address finding "contentment" on earth by living totally in God's presence. The letters explain what this is.
ReplyDelete