Open the Door (Part 3)
This might be my final journey into the topic of meaning in everyday life for a while but I'm not ruling out the possibility for more as I continue to struggle with this whole concept that I've scarcely been able to describe in 3 posts, let alone in some cohesive way in my own mind. However, I want to at least ask this question because I want to know the answer.
So far I've realized that life sometimes does not feel satisfying. I then realized it is because the things that I am investing in so heavily are not, inherently, supposed to be satisfying (did your parents ever tell you not to drink soda because it will just make you thirsty? Well mine did. Its kind of like that).
Today, I've been thinking that developing a vocabulary for what you want and need is incredibly valuable, but there is an important leap from to knowing what to say and saying it. The satisfying and important things in life may sometimes simply fall into your lap, but I think the crux between having good things and wanting good things is knowing how to ask for them, and then asking for them, and then waiting for them to come. I don't mean that all your wishes will come true if you hope or pray or beg or whatever, but having meaning in your life is a decision I think; an attitude.
Let me flip this just a little bit. God says in Revelation 3:20, "I stand at the door and knock." There is also a lengthy discussion about free will that I could also dive into at this point, but lets just, for the sake of argument, assume that we have free will. Is Jesus saying in this simple passage, that He also waits? For us? To ask Him to come in? Woahhhh. Maybe meaning in life is found in asking the right people and things into our lives and most importantly, letting Jesus in to shape and put our hearts in order. This also means closing the door to things that strip life of its meaning by passing itself off as the real thing and not just the symbol.
Will life be meaningful and feel meaningful just because it is now devoid of things that aren't? Isn't that why there are so many distractions and pursuits to keep us occupied? Because we either can't find meaning or just need a break from being disappointed? I don't think so. I think that this intersection might be where I can start opening other doors to things that matter; things that I haven't discovered before and are therefore hard to get a perspective on, and stop opening the same doors to places I know all too well.
I think at the end of the day, all I can do is ask. I think it is important to know how and what to ask for, but the asking is also important. By closing the door on things that aren't meaningful, that will free up that room for things that are, but so often I feel like when I am empty, I don't know how to fill myself back up.
So, at the end of all this, it still feel faintly unresolved, but I think I know what to ask for and how to ask, so maybe, my part is done.
So far I've realized that life sometimes does not feel satisfying. I then realized it is because the things that I am investing in so heavily are not, inherently, supposed to be satisfying (did your parents ever tell you not to drink soda because it will just make you thirsty? Well mine did. Its kind of like that).
Today, I've been thinking that developing a vocabulary for what you want and need is incredibly valuable, but there is an important leap from to knowing what to say and saying it. The satisfying and important things in life may sometimes simply fall into your lap, but I think the crux between having good things and wanting good things is knowing how to ask for them, and then asking for them, and then waiting for them to come. I don't mean that all your wishes will come true if you hope or pray or beg or whatever, but having meaning in your life is a decision I think; an attitude.
Let me flip this just a little bit. God says in Revelation 3:20, "I stand at the door and knock." There is also a lengthy discussion about free will that I could also dive into at this point, but lets just, for the sake of argument, assume that we have free will. Is Jesus saying in this simple passage, that He also waits? For us? To ask Him to come in? Woahhhh. Maybe meaning in life is found in asking the right people and things into our lives and most importantly, letting Jesus in to shape and put our hearts in order. This also means closing the door to things that strip life of its meaning by passing itself off as the real thing and not just the symbol.
Will life be meaningful and feel meaningful just because it is now devoid of things that aren't? Isn't that why there are so many distractions and pursuits to keep us occupied? Because we either can't find meaning or just need a break from being disappointed? I don't think so. I think that this intersection might be where I can start opening other doors to things that matter; things that I haven't discovered before and are therefore hard to get a perspective on, and stop opening the same doors to places I know all too well.
I think at the end of the day, all I can do is ask. I think it is important to know how and what to ask for, but the asking is also important. By closing the door on things that aren't meaningful, that will free up that room for things that are, but so often I feel like when I am empty, I don't know how to fill myself back up.
So, at the end of all this, it still feel faintly unresolved, but I think I know what to ask for and how to ask, so maybe, my part is done.
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