Some of us find ourselves wandering through life as slaves to our own desires, hoping for the next object or person or event which may bring a sense of satisfaction, a glimpse of joy in the darkness of the stale routines in life. I, too, have found myself caught in the shadows of routines and the wills of my heart, only to discover my eyes were closed to all that was truly good. Time flies by and before I know it Monday has arrived once again as the cycle kicks in once more. Consequently, I’m stuck in the present nanosecond wanting that satisfaction I had a month ago, a week ago, or maybe few moments ago. And then I find myself repeating the age old question, is it all in vain?
Well?
I suppose I don’t have the answer. What I’m left with is another set of question marks to clutter my head. A search for purpose, an answer to the queries of my birth and what to do next. After all, who ever asked to be born? I know I didn’t. Yet here I am sitting in the comfort of an air-conditioned home with access to warm running water and a refrigerator with snacks and meals and beverages to my liking. With one flick of a switch or push of a button I can make a dark room glow with light. Another switch can heat my dish in a matter of seconds. One other button turns on a box that connects me to the rest of the world and gives me access to any bit of information I want. Well, almost any bit of information. Sometimes truth is difficult to distinguish from fiction when it is buried under quarky catch phrases or one-liners disguised as wisdom and answers.
Some sources lack their credibility, so you really have to ask yourself what does this source have to gain? Fame? Fortune? Experience? Income? A legacy? An applause? More questions. Who has truly proven themselves to have the answers?
I certainly haven’t proven myself. I’ve told lies before. I’ve stolen. I’ve lusted after objects and people and places. I’ve hurt others with words and actions. I’ve let people down and cursed others who let me down. The same heart that beats in my chest for love and acceptance has also tasted the bitterness of hate and sorrow. Perhaps there is someone reading this right now who has never been guilty of what I have. Maybe my struggles are foreign to the rest of the world, starting with my own home. I know there’s nobody in this house who qualifies for perfection. I’ve experienced them on an hourly basis for 19 years of my life and I’m certain of that conclusion.
Who, then, is worthy of supplying the answers? Who is perfect? Who has proven themselves? What does this person have to gain by answering my questions? Is perfection even possible if the world and everything in it is accidental? Or was it created just as I was created in the womb?
Once there was a man who claimed to have the answers. He said radical things about himself and the world. People called him a blasphemer and accused him of challenging the comfortable routines they were used to. In all things he pointed to himself and people listened. Was this man lying? Was he a lunatic? Was he telling the truth? The debate began when he lived and never stopped, even when he died at a young age of 33. Word spread about him throughout the countrysides, with claims of miracles and fulfillments of promises and prophecies. People wrote down his actions, eyewitnesses flocked to see him and hear what he had to say, even the words he yelled as he breathed his last. And then what seemed like the end was only the beginning. More eyewitnesses, more letters, even claims of seeing him ressurected just as he had promised. Time itself was affected, the years were measured by a new standard in his name. The world kept spinning and people kept dying and eventually time has caught up to me and you at this very moment with the same question I started out with. Is it all in vain? Is it worth investigating?
I know I don’t have the answers. I’m only pointing to someone who came before me who claimed to have the answer. It’s your decision what to do with what he said. I’ll warn you though, it’s radical, but perhaps something radical is necessary in order to get out of our static routines.
If you’ve never heard or read what Jesus had to say about himself or maybe you just want to know more, open up your nearest Bible and to the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, (I personally like reading Luke). Read what the eyewitnesses recorded and what Jesus had to say about himself. The best thing to do is underline passages that get your attention or put stickies with notes on the page. Finish either one of the small books in the Bible that I listed above and if you need any clarification (which is highly probable, but good) then ask a pastor or friend who has also read the book before at your local church or youth group.
I’m going to keep my comments closed for this one. Usually I enjoy receiving feedback from you guys, but for this one I just prefer that you investigate. If anything, just email me by clicking my name below.
