The Great Non-Escape
Monday morning, after last Sunday’s rain, I was out on a walk and noticed that the roadway had many earthworms on it. The worms had sought refuge from the waterlogged lawns and grassy areas. It must have been a feeling of relief when they found a drier place. What they did not know was that the rain would stop and the sun was about to rise. What at first must have felt warm and comfortable soon became blistering heat. They could not dig down through the concrete and did not succeed in returning to the place they came from. Except for the ones I threw back onto the grass, they died a horrible death.
What are the deceitful escapes we might resort to when circumstances overwhelm us? People commit themselves to one or more of the following four things in an effort to find the security and fulfillment they seek.
1.Pleasure – everything has to be fun. The mindset is to deny ourselves no indulgence. The ultimate expression of this is promiscuous immorality and damaging addictions. The result is just the opposite of what was hoped for.
2.Possessions – get rich. Where the dollar is the paramount motivator we see many examples of huge disappointments and ruined relationships.
3.Prestige – get famous, achieve greatness. If our goal is to gain honor for ourselves the emptiness of life will soon overtake us.
4.Power – be in charge, have influence. We’ve watched multiple examples of cruel dictatorships that result from extreme pursuit of power.
All four of the above are valid secondary components in life. It is just that none of them will be fulfilling if it is number one in priority. The Scriptures make it very clear as to what needs to be number one.
Mark 12:30-31 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
The four pursuits mentioned above are in place if they are used to support our relationship with God and others but are fruitless escapes if they are the lone goal.
Keep on the sunny side but stay out of the blistering heat.
Henry Wiebe