As a child I remember Christmas as the highlight of the year. In my youth, months seemed to pass so slowly from January through November, like a train approaching from a great distance, its forward motion barely detectable, time almost seemed to stand still. But as Christmas drew near, the clock appeared to speed up and about the time I really started to enjoy the season, it sped by like the passing locomotive. I can still feel the sadness of Christmas passed. And then there was the New Year. I always wondered what was wrong with the old one, but at least it was the official beginning of the countdown to next Christmas, …just 358 days to go.
Isn’t it just like a child to live only for the highlights of the year? And yet how easy it is, even for us adults, to focus on the mountain peak experiences of life and develop a dread of all else. Life becomes rather mundane if we allow ourselves to fall into this trap.
Some have accepted the inherent drabness of the uneventful days of life. To add meaning and purpose, they focus on family, fitness and fortune. All of these are noble causes and certainly those who pursue them are better off than those who drift through life and apply themselves to nothing.
BUT, as with every human thought pertaining to life, God, the giver and sustainer of life, has something to say. He has prescribed a plan by which we can have a fruitful and joyous life. Jesus said, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10).” Interestingly, the abundant life that He offers is also called “eternal life.” It is defined in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The point to ponder is that God never intended for your life to be a bore. He invites you to a life of peace, joy, and purpose, through Christ.