Looking for Something?
Long ago, I heard a joke that went something like this:
Q: Why did the Israelites wander around the wilderness for 40 years?
A: Somebody dropped a quarter.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I can pinch pennies like a pro, so I thought that was very funny. Especially since I've wasted my share of time looking for lost quarters, nickels, even pennies.
But the sad part is that there is a deep truth hidden in that joke. Many of us wander around life's wilderness. Why? We're looking for quarters - those meaningless, inconsequential things that we think are so important. We seek for happiness in a variety of ways, but we continue to wander unsatisfied.
When looking for lost coins, we look down. So also in the spiritual sense; we look toward the earthly and temporal. We try sensual pleasures, material advantages, and/or self-exaltation. But we find that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life can never be satiated. We seek for happiness where it cannot be found.
We will never be satisfied until we realize that the only way to happiness is to look up. That pillar of fire/cloud, which has always been there, is the only solution. God is yearning to lead us to the Promised Land, but we will never get there if we keep looking elsewhere.
God might make us walk through a sea. He might set us down somewhere and give us a good talking to. He might take us along a route that seems like a waste of time to us. If we whine about it, we might be granted the privilege of experiencing the evils God is constantly protecting us from. But if we learn to trust His guidance, He is well able to lead us where we need to go. All we need to do is pay attention, and obey.
I'm tired of stumbling along, wasting my life. I need to learn to look and live.
Q: Why did the Israelites wander around the wilderness for 40 years?
A: Somebody dropped a quarter.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I can pinch pennies like a pro, so I thought that was very funny. Especially since I've wasted my share of time looking for lost quarters, nickels, even pennies.
But the sad part is that there is a deep truth hidden in that joke. Many of us wander around life's wilderness. Why? We're looking for quarters - those meaningless, inconsequential things that we think are so important. We seek for happiness in a variety of ways, but we continue to wander unsatisfied.
When looking for lost coins, we look down. So also in the spiritual sense; we look toward the earthly and temporal. We try sensual pleasures, material advantages, and/or self-exaltation. But we find that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life can never be satiated. We seek for happiness where it cannot be found.
We will never be satisfied until we realize that the only way to happiness is to look up. That pillar of fire/cloud, which has always been there, is the only solution. God is yearning to lead us to the Promised Land, but we will never get there if we keep looking elsewhere.
God might make us walk through a sea. He might set us down somewhere and give us a good talking to. He might take us along a route that seems like a waste of time to us. If we whine about it, we might be granted the privilege of experiencing the evils God is constantly protecting us from. But if we learn to trust His guidance, He is well able to lead us where we need to go. All we need to do is pay attention, and obey.
I'm tired of stumbling along, wasting my life. I need to learn to look and live.