DailyConnections.net

 

I don’t know about you, but I have this hard-wired sense that this life is supposed to be akin to living in the Garden of Eden.  I think it comes from being a “do it all, have it all” Baby Boomer.

 

Regardless, I tend to equate the ultimate goal in life with being happy as a clam. (No, I’ve never seen any happy clams, but that’s the saying, so let’s go with it.)  Ergo, pleasure and comfort are good; discomfort and setbacks are bad.  However, when I really think about it, that’s all rubbish.  Life is tough, a downright bear at times.  Even this God I follow didn’t fare all that well:  After traveling by foot and preaching in an obscure desert country for a few years, He ended up getting beaten to a pulp and killed in a gruesome public execution.  (The good news:  He came roaring back in glory three days later.) 

 

My point:  The joy of life has nothing to do with a plush, cushy lifestyle or about driving your self-proclaimed destiny to the top of the heap.  It has everything to do with seeking and embracing the gift of faith and the will of God for our lives.  So, celebrate your gifts and blessings and the joy that comes not from a good steak but from the love of the Lord. — jri

 

“Get down on your knees and thank

God you are still on your feet.”

        –    Irish Proverb