How did I get here? I'm not even halfway to retirement; but, I already feel like an old-timer sitting in my rocking chair on an old porch looking out at the horizon, lamenting the future.
How is it, that though I generally live by the verses that encourage us to "be content in whatever circumstances" (Phil 4:11), and to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4); yet, I still can find myself being drawn to the cynicism of Ecclesiastes and going through times in which I find it hard to be optimistic?
I wonder if there isn't just something in our culture that has diminished our hopes and filled it negative fatalism. As I reason it through, I can see how our society's determination to remove God from our culture can play a large part in our slide towards pessimism. True HOPE comes from God. Only when we believe that there is a God who created all things and has a Plan and Purpose, can we see how our lives fit and have meaning as part of the Big Picture.
So, maybe I should get out of the chair on the porch and stop looking at the horizon; and instead, I should lay out a blanket in the open field and look up at the stars and the vast expanse of God's creation. After all, as Hebrews 12:2 says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" !
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rocking Chair on an Old Porch
How did I get here? I'm not even halfway to retirement; but, I already feel like an old-timer sitting in my rocking chair on an old porch looking out at the horizon, lamenting the future.
How is it, that though I generally live by the verses that encourage us to "be content in whatever circumstances" (Phil 4:11), and to "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4); yet, I still can find myself being drawn to the cynicism of Ecclesiastes and going through times in which I find it hard to be optimistic?
I wonder if there isn't just something in our culture that has diminished our hopes and filled it negative fatalism. As I reason it through, I can see how our society's determination to remove God from our culture can play a large part in our slide towards pessimism. True HOPE comes from God. Only when we believe that there is a God who created all things and has a Plan and Purpose, can we see how our lives fit and have meaning as part of the Big Picture.
So, maybe I should get out of the chair on the porch and stop looking at the horizon; and instead, I should lay out a blanket in the open field and look up at the stars and the vast expanse of God's creation. After all, as Hebrews 12:2 says "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" !
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment