a life worth living

the kids are about to start school next week. we are doing registrations today and tomorrow. as i send them off and back into the harshness of the world, my heart prays for them to be protected from the lies of the enemy that try to take them down a path of vanity, emptiness, and futility. this world puts so much emphasis on worldly things like beauty, pleasures, education, power, and money, all of which are not evil in themselves, but, as an end to all that we strive for, is a trap within a trap that ends with nothing past the means. and, it all comes to a halt when the time in which it is attained is over, making the life lived empty and pointless. so many times, what kids and adults, for that matter, are served up as the best way of life is only to struggle to achieve and be the best, get the highest degree, be the most beautiful, and earn the most money so you will be admired and desired, only to one day die and benefit from none of it. the end result proves that experiencing life that way is really not what was thought to be a life worth living.

lately, i have been having many conversations with my teenagers about what is important in life. i think doing well at whatever you do is important and necessary. getting an education and preparing yourself to work a vocation that you enjoy and provides a nice salary is a good thing, but it is not the end of what life is all about here on this earth. if the proper perspective is not served with the notion of working to be a success, then, attaining it brings no fulfillment at all and becomes empty and futile. that proper perspective is knowing that the journey we walk in and what we accomplish only brings joy and happiness if it is walked in union and agreement with God, taking steps in the direction in which He leads.

the biggest lie that our enemy throws at us is that if we listen to God and follow Him, we will not enjoy everything that there is to enjoy here on this earth, that God is holding out on us and wants to keep things from us. this was the first deception he used on Adam and Eve and he is still attempting it today. it is only as we recognize the love the Father has for us and the desire He has for us to experience everything wonderful and good, that we can recognize the lies and send our enemy packing. this life we live on this earth is to be lived and enjoyed greatly, walking hand in hand with the all powerful Spirit of God empowering us to accomplish great things, magnifying Him in all that we do. in that, every aspect of life is a pleasure instead of sorrow, a rest instead of a hardship, fulfilling instead of empty, and purposeful instead of futile.

Ecclesiastes 6:18-20 states, "Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him--for this is his allotted part. Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God to him. For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God, Himself, answers and corresponds to the joy of his heart." this Scripture says it so well. God desires to be a part of the joy that we experience in this life. He answers and corresponds to us in the joys of our everyday life and in the attempts at becoming the person that He has destined us to be. every part of it should be exciting and fun if He is in the midst of the very core of who we are and what we set out to accomplish. that is His gift to us. that is what makes life worth living!