There are
certain moments when the reality, when the realness
of life just hits me. I’m thrown into this kind of shock, where I can’t stop
thinking “This is all real. My life is real.”
And it
frightens me, to be honest. I’m terrified at the thought of reality. But I
believe that I need to confront myself with this reality more often.
Perhaps I
should define what I mean by reality.
I mean the fact that we are eternal beings, handcrafted by the God of the
universe, destined to live with Him in paradise. I mean the fact that He died
for us – that He loves us with an all-consuming love. I mean the fact that
every thing we do, everything we think, everything we are, needs to point to
Him and give Him glory. I mean the fact that my life could end at any time.
That’s the
reality I’m trying to face right now.
Yes, I’ve
always known these things. But I haven’t lived like I believe them. I haven’t let their truth soak into me and change who
I am and how I live. And that’s not right.
Last night,
I felt…overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the love of God. I was reading a book, and
in it, the author said that we are the joy of God. We are the joy of God. I am the joy of God. The enormity of
that statement just blew me away. Let that sink in for a minute. We are…the joy of God. I started crying.
The love of
God is so mystifying to me. Why does He love me? Such a filthy, ugly, wretched
sinner? And yet He does. He loved me enough to die for me. He loves me
constantly, even when I don’t love myself. And that leaves me awestruck.
We cannot
go through life without remembering these simple truths. They are absolutely
vital to the Christian life. We need to walk with them continually in front of
us, encouraging us to press on and fight the fight.
So remember.
What we do (or don’t do) in this life counts. There is an eternity waiting for
us. There is a Judgment Day coming. And there is a God who bought the pardon
for your sin. This life is real.
Believe it. Revel in it. And let it change who you are.
WOW.
ReplyDelete... what incredible thoughts... and how very true. So often it seems a far off concept... yeah, God loves me, yeah, he died for me... but like you say, it is so REAL. Thank you so much for the reminder!
<3