Where are we going?

I recently watched a ladybug walking across my living room floor and it came to an area rug that I have and it tried to climb up then proceed to walk along the edge. I’m not really sure where the lady bug wanted to go, but in my living room there is no source of food or water, so the ladybug was just wandering aimlessly along the carpet without knowing where it was headed. This observation brought me to think about our lives and our goals as individuals, and specifically Christians, with an understanding that we are headed to the Promised Land; a place that is more joyous than the one we presently inhabit. There’s peace, harmony, love, and generosity abounding in the life we look forward to as children of the resurrection of Jesus Christ after we have completed life here as we currently know and understand it.

I continued to watch the ladybug as it headed for the radiator, still not able to find a source of sustenance or companionship with any other ladybugs. If this would have been a summer day, I would have escorted it outside and set it free, but it was a cold day and I knew the beetle would not have survived in the elements.

Its destination was certain as all of ours is – the end of its life. The important question for us as humans is what’s next. Without a relationship with Jesus Christ, there’s no answer, but with Jesus, He is the answer. A personal relationship with Jesus guarantees us eternal life in His Kingdom which has no end. Walking aimlessly through life, we will never find the answer to the questions that we wrestle with, like the very purpose of our existence, until we call upon the one that is watching from afar who sees the bigger picture. If I can easily pick up the ladybug and give it a drink or find it some food, God’s the one that sees the big picture for us and can carry us through our times of struggle. Now the ladybug is trying to fly, but it is not having any success. One day, we will spread our wings and fly as the song “I’ll Fly Away” so joyously reminds us.

This past Christmas, I prayed for peace throughout the world, knowing full well that peace will only come when Jesus returns or when I meet him in his heavenly realm. Nevertheless, I continue to pray honestly, thoughtfully, and sincerely, that whoever is reading this knows the Master, and if there’s anyone reading this who doesn’t, that they would call upon the name of Jesus…the name above all names…and receive him into their heart.

In the liturgical church,

as we recently passed through the season of Lent and are continuing to celebrate the season of Easter, we recognize that we come from the dust and to the dust we will return. All the while, we never lose sight of the Resurrection; a new body giving us a spiritual home, guaranteed inheritors of the Kingdom. It gives us hope as Christians as time goes by and the years continue to pass and we reach that point in our age when we start to plan our funeral instead of our wedding. I pray that if you’re in that place and time, you will not fear your final breath as it is just a transition and will be a time of new beginnings. If you’re looking for meaning and purpose in life, but can’t seem to find it, maybe you’re wandering in the wrong direction. Material wealth and fame just brings more desire for more, but a relationship with Jesus satisfies the searching and longing for more.