Enjoy!

Last Sunday night I enjoyed a wonderful bluegrass concert at the Imperial Theatre. My family, band, and I had been looking forward to it for over a month. That night, the theater was filled with people waiting to see the band walk on stage and fill the place with music. As I sat there, knowing that the show would begin any second, my guitar player said to me, "I wish they would go ahead and start." "Yeah," I replied, "but you should enjoy this moment. We've been waiting for a month to come to this concert. Pretty soon they'll start, the time will fly by, and it will all be over before you know it. Enjoy the moment before everything happens. You'll never live another moment exactly like this again."

After the concert, as I thought about the day's events, I recalled these words that I said. Then I realized that we, as Christians, should "enjoy the moment" all of the time. Of course I know that not every moment of our lives will be as exciting or as pleasing as being at a fantastic concert, but there is Somebody who can make even the dullest and toughest times of our lives better.

That Somebody is Jesus. You can enjoy life when you have His love in your heart. Being rich, famous, traveling the world, having tons of elite friends...I'm sure that it's probably fun, but having just that does not mean that you truly have a life of enjoyment. A life full of joy is found in Jesus. When you've given your heart and life to Him, you can experience true happiness because you realize that God - the God that created everything - loves you! (Just think about that for a moment and you'll find yourself in awe.) Another thing about having Him is that you can have peace because you know that He is with you always, wherever you go (see Matthew 28:20); He's going to make sure that things turn out good for you (see Romans 8:28). When you die He will take you safely to Heaven where He has a mansion prepared for you, where you will be with Him forever (see John 14:2-3)!

Although life at times isn't what we wish it could be, we have to remember this: many people in this world have it worse than we do. If you don't think so, go visit a hospital or a homeless shelter.

The Apostle Paul, a man who was horribly persecuted because of his faith, wrote a letter to the church in Philippi while he was in a Roman prison. In that letter he said, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11) This man could have been angry and depressed because he was thrown in prison for being a Christian, but instead, he turned the problem over to God. He remembered what Jesus had done for him and he focused on the good things that Jesus was going to do for him. Doing this made his situation easier to bear and he was still able to enjoy his life.

"Godliness with contentment is great gain," isn't it? (1 Timothy 6:6) Well, I have good news for you...you can gain that. Whether life for you right now is exciting or dull, good or bad; draw near to God. Tell Him how you feel. Turn the problem over to Him. Trust in Him. Remember the great things that He has done for you, remember the wonderful things that He promises to do for you, and praise Him for that. Once you do these things, it's easier to enjoy life...anytime.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are always there for me. Whether things are wonderful or not, help me to enjoy the life that You have given me. May I always remember that I can enjoy my life because of Your love and blessings that are given to me everyday. Thank You for caring about me. Knowing that You do cheers me up even on the darkest days. When times are hard, help me to turn the problem over to You, help me to remember Your goodness, and help me to praise You for that. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

-Eryn Eubanks (October 16th, 2003)