I once heard the expression that we should enjoy life now because it has an expiration date.
I often wonder how many of us ever stop to realize the truth in this. We live in such a busy and hurried society that many times we don’t stop and recognize the beauty around us. God has given us a beautiful world and most of the time we are in such a hurry that we don’t stop and enjoy the view.
We find ourselves looking for the imperfections and strive to improve them instead of simply listening to the voice of our Lord and Savior. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 18:32, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
As we go through our journey on earth many of us do not take the time and realize what is right in front of us. We have made ourselves so busy of working for riches, fame, and fortune that we don’t perceive God’s natural beauty or talents that He has given to us.
I heard a story that summarizes this very well. In a major metropolitan area a man sat on the sidewalk, on a cold January morning, playing his violin. He was there for an hour and played six Bach pieces. Approximately 2,000 people passed by him that morning some were stopping for a moment or two to listen, some dropping money in his violin case, and some not bothering with him at all. Everyone was in such a hurry that they didn’t have time for the beautiful music coming from this man’s violin.
Most of us are like the passersby and don’t take the time to slow down or stop and enjoy the beau[1]ty around us. We may not see people in need or situations that need our attention because we are so focused on what we are doing or where we are going. Our perception of what is right in front of us is based on quick and deliberate decisions and many times we miss out on the greatness of an opportunity.
No one knew or recognized the man on the street playing the violin. This world renowned violinist played some of the most intricate pieces ever written on a $3.5 million violin. Two nights earlier this man played before a packed house in another major city where the tickets were $100 a piece for a seat to hear him.
One would ask why this man sat on a sidewalk and played his violin? It was a newspaper’s social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
There are many people in the world today that will not take the time and see or learn what Jesus has for us. People are in too big of a hurry and feel if they slowdown that something or someone is going to get ahead of them. It seems that all of us are out to beat our fellow man.
Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The beauty of our life’s expi[1]ration date on earth is that for those of us who know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior will enter eternity with Him. This is not a perception problem, it is a promise given to us by God through His Holy Word.
GARY ANDREWS' devotional appears each week on the Church Pages of your Clarksdale Press Register. You can contact him at GARY@gadevotionals.com
