Life isn’t lived on the mountaintop!

Wow, what a depressing title. Yeah, I know. But go along with me on this. It might be good for us to think this through first.

I was recently thinking that maybe I need to make some changes. The reason being is that I often find I am so focused on the end result that I am totally missing just enjoying the process. I seem to be so looking forward to getting to where I want to be that I forget about just enjoying the journey. In other words, I trample over the roses just to get to the destination. Maybe it’s partly because I’m a guy. The reality is, though, that there is very little of our lives that are ‘mountaintop experiences’. And this is not mean to discount those. But of all the experiences in life, probably less than ten percent of those involve the experience of ecstatic elation you get when you accomplish your end goal. Shooting the winning shot in a basketball game, getting a promotion, or finishing a 26.2 mile marathon run. These are all great experiences. The downside is that they just don’t happen all that often. And for some of us they may happen a lot less than we would like.

I suppose it’s a matter of balance. Yeah, balance. But the only balanced part of my life may be my lack of balance. So, I’m equally imbalanced across the entire spectrum of my life. Good job…..Yeah, not really.

Actually, balance is really simple. Yet, as simple as balance is, it always seems difficult to implement. It’s one of those things—it’s simple, but it’s not easy. You see simple and easy aren’t the same thing. They sound similar but are different in practice. Simple means it’s simple in theory but somehow becomes more complex in practice. There are a lot of things like this in life. The idea of exercising every day is really simple. Yet, we all know that putting that into practice is way different than actually doing it. The good news, however, is that they become a lot easier over time once you get into the habit. You remember the Nike slogan ‘Just do it’? Good advice. However, that simple slogan seems to skip over the complexities of that, doesn’t it? But, maybe that’s the point. Just do it! Some things you have to just do regardless of your feelings. Because when you keep doing those things over and over again you eventually get to the destination. Success belongs to the plodders, right?

    So, now this is getting somewhere. Finding a way to get to that destination. But what about all that in-between time? That plodding, that dreariness of everyday existence. What do we do with that? Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be dreary. And from what I can tell, we should be enjoying that as well. Why not find a way to enjoy that trip to the gym every day, that trip to the grocery store, or going to work every day? Wait…..what was that last one? Oh, work? I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. Yeah, well…..why not enjoy your work? Even if it’s not the job you want to have, you can find a way to enjoy the one you have right now. Do the best you can at every stage of life. That’s seems to be what successful people do.

There was a speech given by Ashton Kutcher earlier this year that he gave at the Teen Choice Awards. You might have heard about it. And in that speech he said, “I’ve never had a job in my life that I was better than.” WOW! That’s quite a statement. Now, you can say what you want about Ashton Kutcher. But if everybody in life implemented just that mindset into their everyday life it would change their entire outlook.

The way I’ve discovered to put this into practice is to just enjoy the little things. If I’m going for a run I listen to music on my phone that I enjoy. If I’m going to work I engage with my co-workers more. Even at the grocery store I can engage in conversation with the cashier. So, these everyday little things don’t have to be drudgery. They can actually be enjoyable. This is about attitude as well. But now we’re getting into an entirely different topic. I’ll maybe write about that later.

Anyway, the good news is, after depressing you at the beginning, there’s always something you can look forward to. Keep that big, ultimate goal in the distance. But, just don’t forget to enjoy that time in between. Because, really, that’s where life is lived. But there has to be more to it than that….        

…Let’s go deeper    

So, is that it? Is that all there is? Not quite. There’s another aspect to this. There’s a number of scripture verses that could apply to this topic. But there are two verses that come to mind. One is Colossians 3:23: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”; The other verse is Philippians 4:12 where Paul said: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”
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So, the first verse, (Colossians 3:23) demonstrates for me that there is a deeper purpose for everything I do. Since I am going about my daily activities with a purpose in my mind, it makes the tasks I’m doing more meaningful, and therefore, more endurable. So, seeing it in this light, there are no mid-life crises, no wondering about, “why am I doing this meaningless task day after day”? Because there is a bigger purpose, or goal, in mind as long as those tasks are pleasing to God. This gives me fuel for the day and powers me through the day.

The second verse, (Philippians 4:12) demonstrates something else. When I think about this verse I think about spiritual maturity. I believe that at this point in Paul’s life he had grown and matured in his walk with God. He had experienced the low times, and God was still there. He had experienced the high times, and God was still there. He had grown in his confidence and faith in God. I can go about my day with a trust in God at a level that is such that my enjoyment of life is really not circumstantial. And, as a Christian, I have this peace and joy in my heart that is so real that it supersedes the outside world. We can dwell in that peace and joy.

I’d like to introduce one more verse here, if I may. This seems to want to flow into Psalm 91:1-2: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” And then going down to verse 7: “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.” Now, this would apply more to situations where you are going through dire circumstances. I guess those would be our valley experiences. These are never fun. But we can know, that even in these circumstances we can rest in the knowledge that he is still there with me; strengthening me, and helping me get through to the other side.

So, it’s good to know that our circumstances may change, but our God doesn’t. Think on that!

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, a unto the Lord, and not unto men;”

Philippians 4:12 “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”