A life that matters.

Hello friends! I would like to share with you a recent epiphany I have had. As you know, I am taking this leadership class at my church and each week, we view a sermon, then break off into groups and debrief. Well, the first sermon we watched was two weeks ago, and it was called "Living a Life that Matters: Living Eternally." Pretty heavy title, right?! Well, the sermon was even heavier and it has changed my life forever! There, in the dim auditorium at First Assembly I watched and listened to the words of Francis Chan on the screen while God was completely speaking to my heart...and transforming my mind. Here's the image that struck straight through heart, making me question what I was even living for. I call myself living for Christ, but check this out:

He was on stage holding a long rope that extended the length of the stage and even beyond. He asked us to imagine that the rope went on forever and never stopped. Then, he held up the end piece of the rope; it was about a 3-inch long section painted red. In light of eternity, this little red piece of rope is your life here on earth.

WHOA! I never thought about it that way! (I would encourage you to just watch the sermon when you get a chance; I pray it'll change your life too.)

So, here are the thoughts that proceeded during and after that fateful night...Man, God, I have been living a life that is solely focused on the here and now. I constantly worry about graduate school, my future, when I'll get married, my purpose in life. I never stop to think about eternity, about when I cross that finish line and get to see Your face. I have never really stopped to answer the question "What have I done this week that will matter in eternity?". (That's one of the questions Francis Chan posed at the end of his sermon.) And, then he asked "What have I done this week that will NOT matter in eternity?". And, man, does that list go on and on for me. Well, I slept a lot, did some homework, ate, spent countless hours of facebook, watched lots of TV, complained a lot, maybe read my Bible for a few minutes, prayed for maybe 30 minutes total all week.

And, then, I realized, this completely sucks! I have been living a life that is wasting away my opportunities to live a life that matters! I have been taking this journey so lightly. When am I gonna get serious!? God, forgive me! Forgive me for not seeing the countless hours I have free as a college student to seek Your face, to delve into Your sweet and precious Word that is nothing but pure TRUTH. Forgive me for sitting around with my friends and complaining about every little thing that I can think of rather than praising Your Name for even being alive and well and healthy. Forgive me for choosing to sleep my days away when I could be crying out to You about those who do not know You, those who are living a life that is only for the here and now, for things that will burn when eternity hits. Forgive me for choosing to do my own thing instead of seeking what Your will is for my life. I do not want to spend my life trying to get comfortable here on earth. Philippians 3:20 says "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...". I don't know about you but I cannot honestly say that I live my life here like my citizenship is in Heaven. And, I definitely cannot say that I eagerly wait for Jesus. I feel like my life has been a life of chillin' here on earth, living for mySELF, worrying about money, worrying about a job that will make me enough money so I'll be able to live a "nice life." How worthless! If it's not in His will, it's all in vain!

I would just like to leave you with this thing God has recently branded into my heart, friends...

A life that is not lived solely for Christ is just not a life at all.

What kind of life will you choose to live from here on out? A life that matters? Or a life that's all about you?