As good as it gets?? I hope not. . .

So, I went to Royal Oak tonight with some friends. Had a good time. Tried sushi (blech) and then just hung out for a bit. Good time, all in all.

But, as I was walking back to my car, I stopped and watched the people on the streets. People with protest stickers on their cars. Drunken sorority girls and frat boys heading from one bar to the next. They all looked so happy, so passionate at getting the next drink/dance/lay. For many of them, this was as good as life gets. They'll get up and go to work tomorrow and the only thing getting them through the week will be the anticipation of another weekend of carousing, boozing, and trying to numb the pain in their hearts that only One being can fill.

There's no such thing as an athiest, I realized. We all believe in a god. What's more, we all worship a god. For some people, it's a god of pleasure. Life is to be lived to the fullest. Fun is the ultimate goal in life. . . work to enjoy yourself. But what happens at the end of your life, when all that "fun" has led to nothing but heartache and regret?

So others turn to the god of work. Fight your way up the corporate ladder. Be the Big Wig. Have the house, the yacht, the cottage on Lake Michigan and the summer home in Miami. Life is progress and you want to get as far as fast as you can. But what happens when the doctor tells you you have six months left and all the money in the world can't save your life?

So others turn to romance and love, because "love conquers all." And they throw themselves into relationships, giving up their hopes, dreams, and pursuits to fawn over another and be fawned over. Love is the important thing. Being loved is an incredible feeling, it's the feeling that you matter. But hearts, as the saying goes, were meant to be broken. And even when love blossoms into marriage, what happens when you're standing over a casket, looking at the one you've been standing by for years and realizing that "Til' Death Do Us Part" actually must come true.

Our culture tells us to worship ourselves. Self-help books tell us to love ourselves, accept ourselves, treat ourselves nicely. So we worship at the altar of self-esteem and try to build ourselves up in others' eyes. But we know our capabilities better than anyone, and are we really too surprised when we hit the wall and those flaws we thought we had banished trip us up one last time and those who said they would back us up are running for cover?

Others turn to religion. Throw your life into church. Give to the homeless. Pray and light candles and memorize scripture. Don't smoke or drink or swear or go to movies. EARN God's grace (an oxymoron if I ever heard one.) But who's standard do you go by? God is holy after all. Can you ever be sure you'll be good enough? And does one slip up cancel the whole deal?

That's why I'm so glad that God's Truth has been revealed to us. That we have the honor, privilege, and GIFT of having a relationship with our creator. That in this relationship He doesn't minimize pleasure but doesn't take away pain. He doesn't condemn work but urges us to work for Him. He doesn't hate love; He hates our IDEA of love and wants to show us what it truly is. He wants to show us our worthlessness and make us more than we ever thought we could be. He wants to take these duties and religious traditions and show that you don't earn His love; it's a gift He gives out freely to all those who seek it.

Following Christ means seeking Life. It means that life, with all it's ups, downs, and crazy times is part of a plan to glorify God forever and ever.

And THAT'S as good as it gets.
C-Dubbs