I truly believe that right now, even as I type this, God is preparing a place for us in heaven. I also know that it is impossible for me to even come close to imagining how magnificent this place will be. Lately, the sunrises here in central Texas have been so amazingly beautiful, with colors only the great “I AM” (our Lord) would be creative enough and capable of making. From what I gather in scripture, the kingdom He is preparing for us in Heaven is going to blow these types of earthly beauties off the charts! I like to daydream about this, it makes me happy and I am so anxious for those days.

But….

Day in and day out … the first of the month rolls around with rent due, and the fifteenth of the month seems like just a few days away from that with mid-month bills to pay, and then the next thing you know I’m doing it all over again. And again. Up in the morning early, say my prayers half awake, then off to the gym before the sun comes up because if I don’t take care of this before work, it won’t get done. I don’t workout on Wednesdays, and it’s crazy how fast those Wednesdays seem to come and go. But that’s okay because Wednesday means I only have two more days after today for the work week–hooray! Spreadsheets, sticky notes and things-to-do lists manage my blessed and God-given day job, so I’m good there as long as I remain seriously focused. And next, thank God it’s Friday! What? Already? This week flew by! Great! I’m off to my weekend! Ahhhh, down time! Oh, but wait! I think I serve at church this weekend, and I just remembered it’s my week to write for this blog! I also have a side gig to finish up … oh well!  So up early for a breakfast date with a friend, run my errands, and squeeze in my cleaning chores while taking care of and catching up on my personal paperwork that’s gotten behind. Yes, no worries, return those phone calls and emails from the week before, all the while … yes, I’ll get it all done! Reminder! Don’t forget to read your Bible Lori!! Tomorrow, Sunday night, at last. I’ll wind it down after the Super Bowl festivities are over, so I can get up Monday well before the sun rises in order to do this all over again. Stand up when you pray tonight Lori, so you don’t dose off!! ~ Wait! What is this all about and why am I even bothering with all of this? There has got to be more to life….

I am sure there is not one person reading this who can’t relate. It is life. Ever feel like you are merely on a hamster wheel? What is the purpose? What is MY purpose? I think that is a haunting question that every person on this earth faces. No matter what spiritual path you are on, if one at all. The question still remains. Purpose? 

In the Bible, King Solomon was the wisest, richest and most powerful man of his time. His wisdom was spoken all over the earth. His wealth was far beyond our imagination. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (no joke!). One of his greatest achievements was building God’s temple, as his father King David had planned. Even today it is referred to as Solomon’s Temple. No man, before or since, has had all the wealth, glory, recognition, and honor that was given to Solomon. What more could any man wish for in this world? But in all this abundance, Solomon was not happy, and he succumbed to the three deadly sins: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. He searched out happiness through wisdom, happiness through partying, happiness through hard labor and happiness through accomplishment–he experienced and had them all, but he still couldn’t find his contentment. Even after all God gave him, he ended up turning his back on God and he lost everything. He died a dejected, sick old man. I do assume, however, that despite his failures and shortcomings, Solomon was saved–by grace through faith–just as we are today.

Though a sad ending to King Solomon’s story here on earth, he did pen the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, which give us great guidelines to go by. You may be familiar with God’s Word in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

A time for war and a time for peace.

Beautifully said, but what does this have to do with purpose? What causes life to take on purpose? Personally, for me? It is being obedient to God’s sovereign timing. I find myself waiting and remain on the lookout for what He is going to do next.

Prophecy in the Bible is timed. Revelation, for example, is all chronologically spelled out; or, as in the book of Daniel and so many more. The Bible tells us things that guide us where we need to be in life, where God is, in order for the Holy Spirit to move us to use us for His purposes, and at the right time–His time. And we might not even realize or have any idea that He even is using us, but neither did all those people in the Bible that God used.

Timing. Do you ever hurry through prayer wanting God to move faster? Of course, we all do and it is usually in regard to the actions or outcomes for others that we love. I love the story John 11 tells us about Jesus and Lazarus. Lazarus had become ill and Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to come and heal their brother because he was about to die. To paraphrase, Jesus didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry and He took a few days to get there, so Lazarus did end up dying. When Jesus arrived, Martha and Mary were upset that Jesus didn’t come sooner to heal him before he died. But what they didn’t know is that Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, which He did. The idea was that everyone could see His power in His own time. Had He of shown up on “man’s” time, all they would have witnessed was a healing. Jesus showed His power over death, to prove that death does not stop the purposes of God. To me, THAT is the purpose of life, because now we are talking about our eternal life.

God has put the question of eternity in our hearts. So this is something that all people, in all walks of life, have laid awake at night and wondered. What happens after I die, and what’s the purpose of my being here? God loves us and wants us with Him in eternity forever. The answer to how this is going to get done goes back to the cross, Jesus dying for our sins in order to get us home so we can live with our Holy God, along with our loved ones, forever. He has an incredible plan to get this done. However, it is impossible for us to know or understand His ways of doing things to accomplish His mission. We do, however, have His Word to go by, and you’ve just got to trust Him and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

I know whatever God does (and what He does through us) is for His purpose, is done in His timing, and will last forever. Nothing can add to it and nothing can take away from it. We will one day receive a crown that will not fade away, unlike the crowns that fade away here on earth.

So, until then, the conclusion for my hamster wheel is to be content on that hamster wheel–to everything turn, turn, turn. :) As long as I’m giving priority time to the Lord and constantly seeking His guidance, I’ll be able to smell the roses along the way. There is a time for everything, and I’m going to do my best to accept, that no matter what, God is in control. I choose to be content in exchange for what is to come. Thy Kingdom come!

Holding fast,

Lori

Ecclesiastes 3:11

^{Photography by Anna Anikina}