10-04-03
A pleasant life is all most of us ask, isn't it? Just a decent place, a decent wage, a
spouse that's a little better than okay, and kids who get to 21 before going to prison.
It's those other people who WANT their kids to go to prison early so they can be in
the limelight for a few minutes - but that's a story for another day. I'm talking about
us here. We aren't asking for much, God. Just keep it pleasant. If He can just do
that little bit, we'll gladly do our time in a church pew and shell out a little of the
payroll. Might even listen to a little Christian music now that it's become sort of cool.
When did we start wanting it this way? I vaguely remember wanting an exciting life at
one time. If I strain I can recall youthful dreams of glory and excitement and even
some plans for making pursuit of the same. Now, I just want the car to run and to
keep my job long enough to pay off the house. I do pray with some fervency about
college money. But, not much else. The little real passion I can work up is spent on
someone else's athletic endeavors.
What I was describing as pleasant is, in reality, looking pretty pitiful. I refuse to ask
for a pitiful life, but I'm not sure I'm ready for God's idea of excitement. There is a lot
about glory in the Bible too, but it was always His glory. His methodology for getting
it involved some pretty wild stuff for folks who are used to the faux risk of
amusement parks, virtual reality video experiences, and film.
Well, I think we are going to have to choose whether to live or exist because the pitiful
life described above is not much more than existing. Take a deep breath and let's
plunge into the water of life!