The Ordinary Life

He woke up one morning. The room stunk of cigarettes, something introduced to him by friends. The TV is turned on, and images are imprinted into his head. Clothing labels, brand names, sex and booze, subtle reinforcement that if you buy those products, you'll look good, you'll get laid, and you'll have a fun time. He dismisses them as ordinary; this kind of stuff is played all the time on every channel. Who gives a crap?

He walks off to classes. It's a nice day, and it's Friday! Already his mind is plotting about the night's activities of absolute importance. After all, what's more important than enjoying yourself. He'll go out with friends and get smashed and hang around and do stupid stuff, maybe hit a club. It's all fun and games, really.

Classes go by quick. Liberalism, evolution, secularism all crammed into this future historian's brain as he studied earnestly. He doesn't even know why he wants to do this other than that it's cool, he's good at it, and it'll make him money. Classes let out, and bam, he's free! He calls a couple of his friends, they agree on a time, phone's hung up, and he heads out.

He briefly passes by a bunch of Christians advertising their group. He dismisses them as stupid, reinforced by today's lessons, and from the example of his folks, who barely attended church and never really listened to it anyways. Why do they take Jesus seriously, anyways? Dismissing them as stupid, he ges back to his apartment, plays some Call of Duty, watches more of the clothing/booze/whatever advertisement-laden programming on the TV about stupid drama that entertains his whims. Whatever.

Him and a few of his friends go out to someone's place. There's even girls there! Alcohol and cigarettes parade all around, getting folks into some sort of chemical stupor. Who cares, it feels great, it's fun, whoo! They decide to go to another friend's house, folks pile into cars, off they soar down the street.

The last thing he remembered was the driver reaching for a cigarette and trying to light it, and then a loud noise, followed by vague memories. Growing up, living his ordinary life, going through what he did in spite of the warnings because everyone else was, all to become a moneymaker. The money didn't matter now, though. He couldn't take his money with him where he was going, and the fun of it all was moot. He was dying... those things weren't going to save him. What really did matter?

The news report made mention of the crash on the 6 PM news, and folks from all over, especially the school, attended the funerals. It was a tragedy of the greatest kind, burned into the memories of all who knew him. Nobody ever listened to the questions in their head of where he went, though, and what happened to him. A month later, and life went on as usual, students attended their classes and watched their TV, went on and made their money and their families and lived their lives, and in time met their end too at various ages, never knowing that there was more to this life, never taking a hold of it.

"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." --Ecclesiastes 2:11

"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." --1 Timothy 6:9

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" --Hebrews 13:5

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." --Jeremiah 29:11

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." --1 Peter 1:3-5

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." --Romans 10:9

A Bigger, Beautiful Picture

A watery void existed called Earth. God took it, and He decided to do something good with it other than turn it into a demon prison, which was the result of His perfect law... He lifted land up, pushed waters aside, crafted creatures and plant life, set a world into motion and decided to make a little gem in a sea of stars and giant planets that, according to research, continuously output a melodious noise through electromagnetic vibrations, a song to Him.

He then went and took some of the dust and made humans to love and be with Him, going so far as to breathe life into them, bestowing them with the spirit. He left them imperfect, likely due to being a jealous God who didn't want or need another perfect being in existence... this imperfection ultimately would clash with His perfect law, but He Himself would eventually go on to break that curse through a perfect sacrifice, a beloved Part of Himself, to annul our infinite imperfections. Considerate and loving, though, He did not force Himself upon us; He gave us the option to choose to be with Him, or be apart, and respects our free will, even if He does know the path we will eventually choose.

We are a blessed creation with a loving God who has paved our way to be with Him as His children, given individual personalities, purposes, talents and futures, simply asked to help give people the option to choose Him.

Never be so ignorant as to forget who you are, and why you're here.