You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. –Psalm 16:11
Well, another Fourth of July has come and gone and thankfully no one in my family sustained a fireworks related injury. Every year my sons purchase and set off some fairly serious fireworks which if not handled carefully could result in a trip to the local emergency room. I recall once when I was a teenager that a firecracker went off in my hand. It stung terribly and my fingers were numb for several hours. Common wisdom holds for a strategy of lighting fireworks on the ground and then running away, but all boys must attempt the old “light the fuse and throw it” routine. Sadly, this doesn’t always work the way we hope and the blast occurs prematurely resulting in some numb and throbbing fingers.
Why is it that people are so often willing to take such risks? Do we feel that we have accomplished something when we tempt fate and risk an injury? Do we become so bored with day-to-day life that the only way we can find something interesting is if it might harm us? The answer to these questions is yes, actually. Often times people become so bored with everyday living that they start searching for something that takes us beyond the normal to the more exotic; i.e. rather than set the firecracker on the ground and light it I’ll light it and throw it. The problem comes when firecrackers aren’t enough and we are tempted to far more destructive behaviors.
The path toward fulfillment can take people in some strange and painful directions. This explains why sometimes people turn to drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, and crime to fill the void in their lives. These risky behaviors can result in some serious and long-term negative consequences. When we feel unfulfilled and we are looking for meaning in life the best place to turn is to Christ. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ can fill the widest and deepest void of any heart. No matter how far off track a person’s life has gone, he or she can come to the Lord and find Him waiting with love, grace, and forgiveness.
Someone has said that we sometimes search the world over looking for happiness and then return home to find it. Where have you been searching for happiness, peace, joy, fulfillment, and direction? You can find all the above in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
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