Monday, October 08, 2012
Peeling Back the Layers of Life
Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep. ~ Carl Sandburg
Scripture:
A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time
to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a
time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:3-4 New
King James Version (NKJV)
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines life as the quality that
distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body. Life is the essence of who we are on this
earth and is further defined by our existence in this
world. Life is the combined accumulation of our experiences. Life is the sequence of physical and
mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual and can be one or more aspects of the process of living. Life or live, is after all, what we do.
The above scripture from the
book of Ecclesiastes
has been described as a book of perspectives.
It is implied that it was written by King Solomon who was considered a
very wise man. King Solomon’s ultimate
purpose for writing this book was to give Christians a chance to see the world
through the eyes of a person who is trying to find meaning in life.
Most every form of worldly pleasure is explored by the
writer, and none of it gives him a sense of meaning. In the end, the writer comes to accept that
faith in God is the only way to find personal meaning. He decides to accept the
fact that life is brief and ultimately worthless without God. The writer advises
the reader to focus on an eternal God instead of temporary pleasure.
Life teaches us that sometimes we choose things we
THINK will make us happy. However, true
happiness can only be found when we seek God first.
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Father
God, far too often we seek pleasure in all the wrong things and in the wrong
places. Lord, forgive us when we fail to
see that eternal happiness can only be gained by seeking first the kingdom of
God. Father, we realize that sometimes
we make choices that are selfish and self-serving. We allow worldly things to distract us and to
temporarily turn our attention away from You and Your word. Forgive us.
Lord, help us to keep You at the forefront of all our decisions. Help us to keep our eyes on the prize of the
most high calling. Help us to not be
swayed by him who seeks to destroy us.
Lord, we love You. We thank You
for fresh grace and mercy. We thank You
for always allowing us to opportunity to turn away from evil and return home to
You. We thank You most of all for Your
Son, Jesus Christ. It is in His name
that we submit this prayer. Amen.
