Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it. —Jane Wagner
When I was twenty-two years old, you could say my life was characterized by ESPN and the Golden Arches. I watched sports when I got home and ate McDonald’s while I did. If that would have been the rest of my life, I’d probably have been pretty cool with that.
Then one day, I was standing in the church lobby, and I noticed this beautiful blond named Libby. I’d known her since I was seven, but I’d never noticed her before.
The rest is history. After the knot was tied, we basked in euphoria and bliss as newlyweds… for a while. Several years into our marriage, we started pastoring, and the kids started coming. We spent less and less time together until one day, we had to sit down and say, “We need to change some things. We’re growing apart.”
Do you remember those early days when you came to Christ? How it felt like you couldn’t soar any higher in your spirit? Then life took over, and you still loved Jesus, but the blinding excitement of it eventually faded.
On earth, there is the constant tension between the temporary and the eternal. It’s natural and normal to feel this tension. We ought to feel the pangs of yearning for the eternal. At the same time, we need to seek joy in Christ as we go about the normalcy of today.
In the same way that Libby and I sat down and made it a priority to talk about our relationship, you need to do that regarding your relationship with Christ.
Overcome the tension and cut through the clutter of the temporary. Sit down, be still, and listen to the Holy Spirit as you read the Word.
Jesus, I feel tension. Sometimes I have great days, and sometimes I have terrible ones. Give me an awareness of Your presence in me and around me right now. Quiet my soul. Amen.