Living the human life involves balancing idealism, creativity and aspirations with practical and sometimes harsh reality. Living a Christian life simply makes that balancing act easier as we align our hopes and dreams with our Heavenly Father’s aspirations for us. Once we have done that, He will open doors and show us the way to make them part of our reality. We have the Holy Spirit within us as our guide and God’s wisdom to help us make good decisions.
I find God’s wisdom in Proverbs, written by Solomon, whom God blessed with wisdom in answer to his prayer. I find even greater wisdom in the red letters of the New Testament; quotes from the very Son of God. I also find and share the wisdom of wise men and women through the ages; including those prolific writers Unknown and Anonymous. All true wisdom comes from God whether we know the first person who said it or not.
I ran across a quote from Unknown recently that really hit home with me. “There are seven days in a week and someday is not one of them.” As I have grown older with increased limitations, my someday has become never in many cases. If you really want to do something while you can, set a specific day or date and go for it. Someday has a way of never arriving.
Theodore Roosevelt seemed to have a grasp for balancing life. “Look up to the stars for inspiration, but make sure your feet remain firmly planted on the ground.” As President, Teddy would take guests out to the rose garden in the evening and encourage them to gaze at the stars with him. After an hour or so, he would say, “Gentlemen, I think we are small enough now. Let’s retire to bed.”
God wants us to apply our spirituality and wisdom to life right where we are and share them with those around us. A preacher once complained, “Some Christians have their heads so far into heaven, they are no longer of any earthly use.” It is fine to keep our eyes on the prize, but we must keep both feet firmly planted on earth to do the work God has for us here until He calls us home. As long as there is breath in our lungs and a beating heart in our chest, God is not done with us yet.
Sometimes I have my head too far in the clouds too, then I remember that our mission field is still here on this earth, and God has called us to be salt and light and to always be looking for His return, but in the meantime to do all that He enables us to do until He does….