The memories of childhood are powerful. Innocence, excitement, wonder; such marvelous adjectives that adults often use to describe their remembrance of a childhood lost. It's common to look back with regret and in hindsight see a childhood as a heaven now out of reach. The realities of work, school, bills, relationships weigh us down. Our outlook on the world is skewed by harsh realities. Pain, suffering, abuse, corruption, greed, foolishness; the black holes in humanity that devour the futile humans attempts at virtuous existence. So we can find ourselves a few years out of college, entirely disenchanted with the world, with it's future, with our future. In this state it's common for people to find meaning, by investing themselves heart and soul into a person, a pet, a job, a lifestyle, an ideology, anything to hide from them the realities that the world is much more scary.
Is that it than? Are we simply doomed to abandon our excitement about life when confronted with realities darker realities.? Is there perhaps a more excellent way?
1 Corinthians 13:11. "When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways behind me" .The point is about replacement. We aren't stripped of our childhood optimism to rot in anxious depression at the state of our world. God didn't design us to hide from reality. However we are designed to grow up. Maturing is a process that happens both in body and in soul. As we age, the dreams must change. As kids we dream based on misunderstandings of the universe. We dream bright and glorious things that will never happen. In adulthood our excitement must itself mature and transition into an optimism based the future promised by God.
The reality of God purposes for the universe are worth being excited about. We don't have to cling to vestiges of a highly glamorized childhood. As Christians we have a far more glorious future awaiting us then any childhood any human was blessed to have. Let's not cling to the past but step forward with boldness, anticipating the coming of our Lord and preparing ourselves that we might not be ashamed at his coming.
Is that it than? Are we simply doomed to abandon our excitement about life when confronted with realities darker realities.? Is there perhaps a more excellent way?
1 Corinthians 13:11. "When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man I put childish ways behind me" .The point is about replacement. We aren't stripped of our childhood optimism to rot in anxious depression at the state of our world. God didn't design us to hide from reality. However we are designed to grow up. Maturing is a process that happens both in body and in soul. As we age, the dreams must change. As kids we dream based on misunderstandings of the universe. We dream bright and glorious things that will never happen. In adulthood our excitement must itself mature and transition into an optimism based the future promised by God.
The reality of God purposes for the universe are worth being excited about. We don't have to cling to vestiges of a highly glamorized childhood. As Christians we have a far more glorious future awaiting us then any childhood any human was blessed to have. Let's not cling to the past but step forward with boldness, anticipating the coming of our Lord and preparing ourselves that we might not be ashamed at his coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment