So Many Trivial Treasures

There are many things we all chase after most of which are trivial.  So many conversations in which we engage (both internally in our minds, and externally with others) are focused on the job we work, the house we live in, the car we drive, the money we make (or wished we made), the sports we watch, the recreational activities we engage, and so many similar fleeting things.  We know better that these things don't ultimately satisfy us, but we continue going to these various "wells" of refreshment hoping that it will give us that same thrill and somehow sustain us.

When All is Stripped Away

There is rarely the time in this life where we recognize the sufficiency of God.  The fact of the matter is that we don't often have any concept of how needy we are, nor how sufficient He is.  And this is because too many of our "things" get in the way.  As the life of Moses came to an end it was Joshua who was left with the responsibility of leading the people of Israel into the promised land.  It may not seem like such a big responsibility, but consider a few things: 1) there were an estimated 1.5 to 2 million people he was leading, 2) there stood in the promised land nations and cities of people who will war against Israel, 3) Joshua had never led before, and 4) Moses, his friend, and leader is gone.  We get the indication that Joshua was exceptionally frightened by what was upon him and in front of him because three times in verses 1-9 of the first chapter of Joshua we hear these words "Be strong and courageous."  God is the one who said this and He did so because He knows what Joshua knows: that Joshua is neither strong nor courageous.

Not This Life, But the LIFE TO COME

Pain is a wonderful reminder of our vulnerability.  It exposes just how needy we are.  It grips us with a deep desire for both how things were in a day prior, and births from somewhere within a hope that one day we will find relief.  It causes us a brokenness in us where others can finally see the person who cries, who suffers, and who "can't do" the simple, mundane things previously taken for granted.  And pain exposes the innate desire of every human who has ever lived: to be happy.