As a blogger, are you allowed to blog about other bloggers’ blogs?? (Asking for a friend…)
Okay, fine. I’m asking for myself. 😂
I hope I’m not breaking some sort of copyright rule by quoting another blogger, but I guess if it is some sort of infringement, then I’ll be asking for forgiveness not permission on this one. 😬
Last month I ran across a Facebook post from an awesome writer/blogger whose Facebook page is called “Whitney Fleming Writes.” Her primary audience is parents of older kids and teens. Since I’m on the cusp of being in that stage of life, I took a moment to look around her blog. And I’m glad I did, because I came across one of her recent posts that said something profound. It said, “There’s always something to look forward to when you have a family.”
Isn’t that a comforting thought? It’s a glass half-full way of looking at the many different seasons of parenting…which is by the way, is perfectly suited to the audience for whom she is writing.
But when I stepped back and took a look at the bigger picture, and thought about the audience for whom I am writing my own blog, it seemed that the sentiment fell a little short.
For example, there might be people reading my blog who are unmarried, completely childless or who have lost a child. And not only that…there may be readers who are young or old, in their happiest season of life or in their saddest season of life, in their business season of life or in their loneliest season of life.
This made me realize that a blanket statement such as, “There’s always something to look forward to when you have a family” might be comforting to some, but not all.
So then, I thought…hmmm 🤔, what could you end that sentence with that would universally relate to everyone? “There’s always something to look forward to when _________.” What would you fill in the blank with?
– When you have great friends?
– When you have a job you love?
– When you have time to engage in your hobbies?
– When you have an endless supply of money?
– When you have great health?
The list could go on and on…but then I thought…all of those things are great, but the only catch is that they are all very fragile and fickle states of life…they can be taken away or changed at a moments notice. They are like shifting sands that wash away with the tide.
As much as we love our family, they will be gone someday. As much as we love the comforts of peace, a nice home, food on our table, our physical health, our hobbies, there will likely come a time when one or more of these are no longer things that we can look forward to.
There may come a time in our lives when we become so old or sick that we literally have nothing else to look forward to at all in life. In fact, there are plenty of people all across the world in that very predicament right this very moment.
Sounds bleak, doesn’t it? 😔
Why would I even let my mind wander there? Well, as my husband would say, it’s because I’m a tortured soul. I don’t know, maybe he’s right. 🤷♀️
But then I remember…for Christians, even death’s doorstep has a bright side. Because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, true followers of Christ will have an eternity in Heaven to look forward to when this life is over.
So that’s it, the best thing I can think of to fill in that blank is, “There’s always something to look forward to…when you’re a Christian.”
Putting your hope in anything else here on this earth without acknowledging it’s temporal nature, is like building a house upon the sand.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” -Matthew 7:24-27
It’s like the old song says…”Some build their hopes on the ever drifting sand; some on their fame, or their treasure of their land; mine’s on the rock that forever shall stand. Jesus the Rock of Ages.”
Take the moments of joy and happiness that can be found in this life and give thanks to God for them. But don’t let them become the end-all, be-all. They were never meant to be.
Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees. This earth and everything in it is passing away (I John 2:17).
Remember to keep looking forward to something more…because there’s always something to look forward to when you’re a Christian.
Until next time…
-PWAP
