God

To Disappear

I live today in the constant awareness that my life is endangered by the mere fact that I am still breathing. All our lives are, in this daily war zone that is our world.

The places we work. The places we worship. The places we recreate. Nothing has been left untouched by the shadow of evil.

What do we do with this reality? How do we live each day knowing our lives could be taken in an instant?

The other day I was reading a Bible passage I’ve read many times before. It speaks of the final days, of how there will “great distress on the earth.” And it comes with a reminder: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.”

Amidst the horrific events we face in our modern age, it’s tempting to allow our hearts to become weighed down.

Drunkenness numbs. The cares of this life cause us to forget. But what exactly is dissipation?

It’s one of those words I thought I knew until I looked it up. As I initially thought, it does refer to indulgence in excessive pleasure. But beyond this, it also means “to squander or deplete.” On a scientific level, dissipation is “a physical process by which energy becomes not only unavailable but irrecoverable in any form.” To dissipate is to “cause something to disappear.” When something dissipates, it becomes “less than” it was originally intended to be.

If my time here is to be short, I don’t want to waste the moments allotted me. I don’t want to squander or deplete my resources. I don’t want to use my energy on things which are meaningless in the end. I don’t want to be any less than what I was originally intended to be.

I don’t want to disappear.

I’m not speaking of disappearing in a physical sense. I’m speaking of getting so lost in temporary pleasures and worldly cares that I lose sight of who I am and why I’m here. Of numbing myself so thoroughly that I forget the wisdom of numbering my days.

The current state of affairs awakens me. It causes me to reconsider the reason for my being here. It moves me to examine my path. How far have I drifted from the purpose for which I was created?

Father, as you have promised…use all that is intended for evil and bring forth good. If anything, use the horrific events of our day to awaken within us an awareness of the brevity of life. Turn our attention to things of eternal consequence. I pray we’d no longer dissipate our existence on what will waste away in the end. Instead, let us use the short time we have here on this earth to invest in things which will last forever.

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Whatever You Did

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40)

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Losing Sight

When our sole purpose revolves around ourselves, we breed contempt for our fellow human beings. They become mere hindrances to our own success. And we lose sight of the reason for our existence.

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To Be a Blessing

Whenever I do something to bless someone else, I am blessing my Maker.

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Forgotten Purpose

As the leaves shed their summer clothes in exchange for fall apparel, I’m reminded of childhood autumn days snuggling under my warm comforter as crisp air drifted through my bedroom, mingled with the sound of the high school marching band practicing for the upcoming football game. Soon I would break free from my quilted cocoon, join the leaves in donning my seasonal clothing and walk with my family the short few blocks to the game.

In those days, the band was a permanent fixture at athletic events, fall and winter. They knew their purpose: motivate the home team by means of music. Rouse the fans to cheer their team to victory. Set the environment for another win. And have fun doing it.

Things changed by the time I stepped onto the high school scene. The bleachers were often empty where the band used to sit. And halftime was unusually quiet.

Instead of faithfully stirring the fans and supporting the team, the band was busy participating in various competitions throughout the region in hopes of garnering their own victory. Rather than helping the team gain another state trophy, the band was set on filling its own trophy case. And fans were torn between rallying behind their team at the game or the band at its own competition.

Whispers floated through the hallway—silent laments that our school no longer had a band to encourage our teams. Questions of whether our slow descent from athletic glory resulted in part from the lack. Wonders of what suitable thing could fill the gap our band had left in its absence.

When did existing to serve others become insufficient? When did not having awards to validate their efforts become a false sign of insignificance? When did being in the shadows of the limelight become less than enough?

It seems to be the mantra of our generation—that our efforts are futile if unrewarded. That the privilege of helping another is minimized if unaccompanied by accolades of our own greatness. That we exist solely for the purpose of glorifying ourselves and cease to exist if not applauded by the masses.

When our sole purpose revolves around ourselves, we breed contempt for our fellow human beings. They become mere hindrances to our own success. And we lose sight of the reason for our existence.

I found life when I found my purpose—to serve the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, and who also created me for a reason. It might sound selfish on God’s part that he created me to serve him, but it’s not selfish at all when you understand that we serve him when we help others. Whenever I do something to bless someone else, I am blessing my Maker.

It’s not about me. It’s not about my own glory, or about how many awards I can garner for my own display. It’s about treating others as the treasured creation God has made them to be, laying down my life to glorify God by honoring the work of his hands—the people he so loves.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40)

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

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