Too Often We Are Just Surviving Life

What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for.

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope." Romans 5:3

Too often we get bogged down in the details of life and forget about the goals we started with.

I once had a friend who fought in World War II in the Merchants Marines. He sailed the world protecting flotillas from German U-Boats and Japanese Zeroes. He saw Europe, Africa, South America, China and Russia. As he told me stories about the places he had been and the things he had done I asked one day, "What was it like fighting in the great war?"

He gave me a long sorrowful look and said, "When I first entered, I was young and full of ideas of fighting Nazis and getting revenge for Pearl Harbor. I thought we were going to save the world from aggression and fascism. But then I realized, the only thing I wanted to do was to survive just one more day."

Survive just one more day.

How aptly does that describe our own lives? We walk around like zombies with no real goals. Nothing to look forward to or to strive for. We have electric bills and water bills and car payments and mortgages that are too high. We have bosses who don't understand us and co-workers who are sometime just a bit too lazy for our tastes. We have T-ball games and soccer practices. We have meals to cook and places to be.

We are just surviving one more day.

We're on autopilot and cruise control. We're going through the motions of life and not really getting any joy or satisfaction from the ordinary, bland and tepid lives we lead.

But that's not what God wants for us. God wants us to find joy in our lives. God wants us to feel like we have enough so that we won't always be striving for more. God wants us to enjoy our work so that we can feel a sense of accomplishment. God wants us to look at our families as blessings and not as people we carpool around with. God wants us to savor the lives we have and share our joy with others.

God doesn't just want us to survive.

God wants us to thrive!

Do you hear that? God's calling you. Calling you to a more holy and blessed journey. God's calling you to sanctification. God's calling you to step out of your mundane life and live a little.

So what are you waiting for?

Go and be the person God is calling you to be.

Let us pray.

Our Precious Lord. Open the windows of our souls to your Spirit. Help us to worship you, and through our worship, to finally find peace. Glorious God, Guide us now by your Word and Spirit, that in your light we may see light. Send out your light and your truth and let them lead us, through Jesus Christ, your Son, in whom we pray this morning. Amen.

PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF THE FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.