Hey, it’s been a few weeks. Life’s been good since the last blog. I finished school, somehow finished my sophomore year strong and now I’m home for the summer working at a golf course which has been fun.
Last week I was going through Snapchat and for those who have snap know about the “memories” tab where snaps from one year ago, two years ago, etc. show up as a memory. Well last week, I opened the “tab” I guess you could call it, and one year ago from last week, I posted my first blog.
I really wanted to write but I also had no idea what to write about and I never want to rush something and write something un-impactful plus I’ve been crazy busy and really haven’t had time to sit down and work on one.
So I was thinking and I thought about it and I decided to share the biggest thing I’ve learned over the last year. I’ve shared a lot of it through the blogs and this might be a slight culmination of that but I’m gonna try and keep it unique.
Over the last year, I spent an entire summer working at a camp as you probably know. That was wild, to say the least. I also road tripped across the country twice (and a half). I officially transferred to college and finished my second year of college as mentioned earlier.
se·cu·ri·ty
/səˈkyo͝orədē/
noun
1. the state of being free from danger or threat.
I just wanna know. What exactly am I referring to? A lot of things actually. Like most people, I wanna know what my future looks like. Most people have an idea of what they want their lives to look like but nobody (except God obviously) knows your exact future. I wish I knew how much money I’ll make.
I wish I knew who I’m going to marry. I wish I knew where I’m going to live. I wish I knew what my kids will be like. I wish I knew where I’ll go to church and how my life will play out. I just wanna know. You see the thing is, I think that way almost to a fault.
Of course, it’s completely normal for anybody to think that the way people want to know the future. But not everybody has a secure future because what they are trusting in isn’t secure. People love to trust their wallet or their bank account. ”
But I’m sure you would agree, those things aren’t secure. Your money can be spent and your relationship/marriage can be ruined. If those things are how you view a successful life then your view is skewed. Don’t get me wrong, those are not bad things but they shouldn’t be your idea of success. So what is a success?
Or the better question: what is secure? God. But don’t turn me off because that was a cliche statement. Everybody says to trust God, just trust God, and life will be amazing. I’m here to break the news, life isn’t amazing but there’s a catch. It CAN be but maybe not from how you see it now.
I think God has placed me in certain positions lately where I can see what it looks like to live without God. I mentioned working at a golf course which is a great opportunity for me during the summer but I’ve noticed some things about some of my co-workers. To my knowledge none of them are Christians.
As I look around and observe how they act, talk, and even work they seem miserable because this is what their life looks like: They wake up, they go to work and sludge through the eight or nine hour shift and head home down a couple of beers, burn a couple of hours in front of the tv, or do something to drown their “sorrows” and head to back to do it all over the next day.
Their weekends are filled with sleep and more drinking or sleeping to keep their worries at bay. Life is a never-ending cycle of struggle, work, struggle more and then you’re dead. Life lacks purpose for them and they see life as something not worth living well.
Sure they dream of being rich and living a great life like celebrities but it’s so far out of reach they can only dream of it.
Sounds sad doesn’t it? Because it is.
That is the life of chasing money, happiness, pleasure, and popularity.
I’ll be honest, and those who know me well would agree that like money because for me I translate money into security and I want to have a secure future. But the more God shows me the lives of my co-workers I see that lives are wasted chasing money, pleasure, and happiness.
Lives spent chasing those things are miserable and why would I want something like that?
” That money they’re trusting in? That can disappear. You might spend it or lose it but that’s not secure. That “right girl” or “right guy” isn’t secure because they are fallible humans just like you. That car that you think secures your status as someone successful?
You could crash, get run over, whatever, it’s not secure. Even that nice house you want so badly in the future isn’t secure because it could burn down, you could get kicked out. I think I made my point, you cannot trust in any of those things for security in your life. So what is secure?
What is never going to change, go away or fail to deliver? Well, as you probably guessed the answer is God. But please don’t turn me off because that was simply too cliche. Yes, God is the only security that we need but HOW can that, SHOULD that change our behavior?
Even though I KNOW God is secure and my life is secure in Christ why don’t I live like it? I think part of it has to do with proximity. Think about it like this: Some people build fences around their house for protection. ”
We do the same with our lives. We have God as our “fence” or as our security in life and all we need to do is trust Him but we “build our house” or live our lives outside of that and live for everything the world says we should be living for.
There’s the phrase: “The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence” and it not. But why does it always seem that way? It’s human curiosity there nothing philosophical about it. But the cool thing is, God has been using my co-workers to give me a glimpse of the “grass” and its dead, it’s not worth it.
So the golden question: How can I have security and what does that look like?
First of all, understand this: Security does not equal comfort, happiness or money. However, finding your security and living for the purpose of glorifying Christ with your life will lead to the greatest life you could ever live.
But in regard to how, Tyler, I want this security but how can I do this?
Colossians 3:1-5
(1) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (3) For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
(4) When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (4) Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
I think this verse encompasses a lot of what it takes to find your security in Christ. Verse 4 mentions some of the things that people chasing the world pursue. If you are living with sexual immorality, passion (for worldly things), evil desires, and idolatry then you’re looking for flawed security in the world.
So what does finding your security in Christ look like?
Pursuing Christ…wholeheartedly.
No having money isn’t bad, being married and loving your spouse isn’t bad, those things are good things and money is necessary for life whether you like it or not. However, nothing else should compare to our love for Jesus Christ.
I conclusion, I googled what the word “Idol” means:
i·dol
/ˈīdl/
noun
1. an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.
So here’s the question: What do you want to find your security in?
One quick last statement: God didn’t create you to live for yourself, We were created to pursue Him and bring Him glory. Heaven will be worth the sacrifice.
So that’s the biggest thing God’s taught me over the last year, it’s not about me, it’s all about Him. Anything this world has to offer doesn’t even compare to what God has to offer. Hopefully this was an encougement, thanks for reading,