“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul” (Mark 8:36)?
Not so many years ago my attitude was more mad than glad. Smiling and cheering for others on the outside, I was weeping and coveting on the inside. To be married with children represented completeness to me. Without them I was convinced I could not be happy with my life. So I prayed to have all my dreams come true so I could be satisfied. Yet the harder I pursued my desires the further the Lord removed the manifestation of my dreams until they became impossible to fulfill myself.
To medicate the pain I looked for comfort in many places—a new job, new clothes, or an exotic vacation. They were short term fixes that eventually left me financially and spiritually in debt. I thought things couldn’t get worse. Then my health began to deteriorate along with my love life, and so did my faith in God’s goodness. I thought He was mad at me and could not understand why the good things I did in life did not outweigh the bad things. Something had to change, but I did not know how to fix myself.
Then Jesus broke through.
On a week-long hiking trip as I grumbled to God His divine finger reached from heaven and touched my heart. In an instant He changed me from mad to glad; melting my anger with His love. It wasn’t the time away that changed my attitude, but that I gave my life away to Christ on that vacation. My circumstances hadn’t changed. In fact, they worsened over the next several months. Yet my joy increased.
How can you explain that other than a work of God’s grace?!
You may be discouraged by unanswered prayer and hanging your happiness on the fulfillment of your dreams. But what if God wants to give you a different vision for your life? Will you put your trust in Jesus for the salvation and satisfaction of your soul?
Your best days on earth will one day pale in comparison to the treasure that awaits you in heaven. Whether married, single, widowed or divorced, let Jesus walk beside you in this life so you can walk beside Him in eternity. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul” (Mark 8:36)?
Your fellow sojourner and herald for Christ,
Mary
