Selling Dreams

"What would you do if nothing could hold you back. If you knew you would not fail?"

These are questions people get asked every now and then. The answers would vary. Buy a house, marry the person of their dreams, travel around the world, pursue a dream job. What would yours be?

For the apostle Paul, it was to leave this earth and be at home with the Lord. (Philippians 1:20)

How different is his answer from the desires of our own heart! For rarely do many of us even think about the eternal joy that awaits us when we are finally in Christ, in contrast to the fleeting and uncertain pleasures of this current world. Women want control. Men desire a good reputation. But the message of the gospel pushes us to live ever before the living God.

We've been told over and over again not to be lovers of this world. Some of us hold fast to the message written in John's 1st letter, Chapter 2:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (v. 15-17)

Yet in spite of knowing this command, some of us are still miserable. We tell ourselves that there's absolutely nothing wrong in having a dream. But we cower in fear at the thought of never being able to achieve it. I've met with several much older Christians who often quip "If only I did this or that when I was your age..." They wonder where it went all wrong and if they could go back. They say they look forward to the future, but I realize that it's probably only because their life is replete with regret. A life at home with the Lord seems to be a mere afterthought just in case things won't work out here on earth.

CHANGING THE QUESTION

Our culture has most of us buying into the lie that because we've only got one life to live, there's a sense of urgency to being fulfilled and living "your best life now". It's not just a millennial thing: whether it's Carpe Diem,"life is too short", "no day but today", Que Sera Sera, it's "now or never" or YOLO; I've seen this attitude take on many shapes and forms over the years. What's surprising is that while many good Christians reject the teachings of a prosperity gospel, they still unknowingly hold on to a piece of its principles through these beliefs.

Generally speaking, so much attention is given to the things we'll lose when we leave this world, that little is ever given to what happens after. People don't care much about the Afterlife. Most no longer believe in it. But if there's one thing that everyone can agree on, is that death awaits us all. Things will not last. Your time will come - whether you've accomplished anything by the end of it or not.

Perhaps a change in question is at hand. When we are faced with the facts, we'll quickly realize that something will be holding us back and will never allow us to carry on our own way forever. But this reality shouldn't trouble us. If you knew that in the end you were never going to make it, this is no reason for us never to exert any effort at all.

As Christians, knowing the true end, perhaps it's time we asked:

"Even if all else fails, how can I live my life today in view of eternity?"

It certainly changes our perspective doesn't it? If life was viewed from the point of knowing that everything we currently know and have is bound to fail, then our little pursuits would seem trivial and mundane. Personal goals will be exchanged for Eternal investments. I love how John Calvin so bluntly puts it. It's almost comical:

"We, all throughout our entire lives, want to act as though we were longing for heavenly immortality and striving urgently after it. Indeed, we judge it shameful not to distinguish ourselves in some way from the brute animals, whose condition would be much the same as ours if we didn't hope for eternity after death. But examine the plans, pursuits, and actions of whomever you wish, and you'll find them to be entirely earthly. Thus, we see our stupidity."

Fellow saint, relinquish the dreams you have for this world. Let the cross teach us to never buy into a lie and what's temporary in exchange for an everlasting Truth. Let suffering and death remind us to aim for Loftier Things. Let Jesus be our life's goal - and I say that in reference to the one we currently have, and even into the next. Not worldly fame, monetary success, personal ambition or not even merely reaching heaven - because even a heaven without Jesus in it would be no heaven at all.