Saturday, August 20, 2011

Real Life, Not Mere Existence

August 19

We all enjoy pleasant surprises. Yes, you do, too. Perhaps, like others, you profess indifference to the little delights your loved ones plan for you, but if you are honest with yourself, you will acknowledge that, although gifts may not be the focus of any given event, the thoughtfulness that lies behind them does indeed mean quite a lot to you.

And who can deny the rapturous glee on the face of a three-year-old who has just seen the candles flaming on that amazing birthday cake! Although interest in the gifts may be minimal, the joy of blowing out the candles is an incomparable delight to any child.

Yes, we bask in the glow of the candles of life long after they’ve been blown out. The teacher who congratulated us profusely on an extraordinary effort, the boyfriend who bent down on one knee to propose marriage, the child whose bouquet of wildflowers was presented while camping in a tent—these are the things that make life real life, not just mere existence.

Yet all the wonder of life’s joys pale when held before the things the Lord has for His people. I Corinthians 2:9, 10 says, “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the imagination of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him; yet, He has revealed those things in part to us by His Spirit…” and, O, what a blessing they are! How they glow before the eye of our spirit!

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