meaning

From Meaningless to Meaningful…

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In the book of Ecclesiastes, I am uncomfortably struck by the many verses that highlight how ‘meaningless’ life is, as the author (most Christian scholars agree to be King Solomon “The Teacher”) contemplates aspects of our lives here on earth that, quite frankly, make no sense.

Here are just a few of them.  But, be warned….if you read too many in succession, you might as well read the entire book of Job!  Here, I am using the NLT, since other versions weren’t quite as vividly descriptive as I found the New Living Translation to be.

“I [The Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem] observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!””
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“…Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭2:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭8:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake when they give great authority to foolish people, and low positions to people of proven worth.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭10:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Wow.  Kind of a downer, huh?

… I basically plucked these verses out of the many verses that are commiserative, because they are true depictions of our plights here on earth.  We can all identify with the uncomfortable ironies of life here on earth.

The good thing is, King Solomon does indeed trace every good thing back to God.  But I became ever more thankful to God for sending His Son, Jesus to break through every meaningless plight we face here on our earthly journey!

Enter…Jesus (a relationship King Solomon did not get to experience, not understandably so anyway) and everything changes!

Jesus’ power changes the meaningless into the meaningful!  What seems senseless, now has a purpose; which is to show the great power of Christ!  Evil is overcome.  Death loses its sting! Eternal life and joy is now very possible through believing in Jesus.  We can fully trust Jesus through every irony in life!  No matter how troubling or senseless it seems!

The complexities of life keep us dependent on Jesus.  They force us to keep our eyes on Him, not on all the circumstances that don’t make any sense to us.  What does make sense is: that in Christ we find everything we are looking for.  We may not even know what that truly is right now.  But, then, God orchestrates His plan.  And we somehow find ourselves standing at the center of His will wondering how we ever got there!  A trajectory we tried to plan for, but couldn’t control every outcome to go as we had hoped or desired.  Jesus trekked the impossible for us.  And THAT makes no sense, either!  Only in a really, really good way!

And all along the path/way, Jesus not only gives us what we need, but greater still, we come to learn that He Himself is our greatest need!  When we surrender to His lordship in our life, our future is secure!  Perhaps scary at times, but nevertheless, secure.  We walk by faith.  And when we do, it no longer has to make sense, because walking daily with Jesus is the most meaningful way we could ever spend our lives, come what may!

Be encouraged to stay with Jesus!  Nothing is meaningless when you walk closely with Him.

Love & Blessings!
-Cindy Magsig ❤️

 

He Sees Me

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Silly starts early
Always singing
Our Wedding Day

When I look in the mirror, I can only see myself as I am today.  I mean, sure, if I stare at myself long enough, I might remember how I used to look a few years back. Especially those fine lines gravity enjoys leaving behind as a reminder of its power.  I can look at past pictures of me, and recall how I used to look as well.  But it’s hard to know exactly what I will look like 5 to 10 years from now, should I still be here on this earth.

Crazy though, is the thought that when God sees me, He see my past, present, and future all at once.  It’s amazing to think: He knew me before I was covered in flesh.  Before I took my first earthy breath.  He knew what every day of my life would hold … what every moment would bring.

Take, for instance, the day when I came home and looked in the mirror, tears streaming down my face wondering why rejection hurt so bad.  Or that day I came home from elementary school in a bad mood because at PE I got picked last on the dodgeball team…..again. (TBH: I’m horrible with sports so I wouldn’t have picked me either).  Ah! But then, there was that glorious day I looked in the mirror flashing my new engagement ring on my left ring finger!  Dreaming of my wedding day.  The day I would become Mrs. Ross Magsig!  Even before that day, God had already seen my wedding day, the birth of our three children, our future together….the days that are still ahead of us.  Everything!  All of it!

We can only see what is.  We can only remember what was.  But God sees all of that and so much more!  He doesn’t see us in the limited way we see ourselves.  Or in the limited way others may see us.  He knows our entire story at just one glance!  And when He puts His eyes on us, He sees everything about us.  And amazing still, is that He loves every part of us!  His is truly an unconditional love.

He was there from the very beginning.  He’s been there through it all.  And He’ll be there straight into forever!  Straight into eternity!  What a glorious thought.  Recognizing the infinite love God has for you and me, makes me ask: What else do we need?  Nothing!  His everlasting love  means everything to us.  No one can see us the way He does.  Which is why no one can love us the way He does.  May you walk in the beauty of this truth today! You are infinitely loved!!

Love ❤️  -Cindy Magsig

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”   -‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:16-17‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”‭‭   -Ephesians‬ ‭1:4 ‭(NLT)

“For His unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!”  -‭‭Psalms‬ ‭117:2‬ ‭(NLT‬‬)

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If Only …..

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If Only …..

If only we could be loved straight through all of our highs and lows. The ups as well as the downs.  If we could be accepted not only when we do something to please others. Or say only those things they agree wholeheartedly with. Or act and respond in the way they want us to respond and act in any given situation.

If only we could be loved fully with grace and compassion. What does that kind of love look like?  What does it feel like?  I only ask, because I don’t see it very often. Sadly not even in the church; a place I would totally expect and hope to find it.  Sure, I don’t expect to see it in the world. That’s because it is our job to show it to them. But do we?

See, Jesus didn’t wait to love you until you had it all together. He loved you before you could ever be cognizant of your actions. And He continues to love us with an everlasting love. Straight through all of our messes and hang ups.

So why can’t we love each other that way? Or maybe a better question is: Why won’t we?  I believe we can!  We can love, because He first loved us!  We can love others first, too. Before they impress us. Before they give us something we value. Before we get so easily offended at what the enemy knows is the pettiest thing in light of eternity. And bigger still, after we’ve been offended. I’d love to see THAT kind of mature love in action! Wouldn’t you?

We are to love like Jesus because He modeled love both in life, and death.  How He was moved to compassion by the very people who crucified him is mind boggling to me. But He asked God to forgive them!  And He personally asks us to love and forgive others the way He has loved and forgiven us. Love with compassion. Love with grace. Love without demanding our own way. Love straight through the disagreements. Love beyond the disappointments. Give others a love that bears all things. Hopes all things. A love that endures all things. Faith, hope, and love remain… but the greatest of these is, and always will be, LOVE.

What could happen if we stopped making excuses as to why we cannot love another person in this way?  If we cannot, it is solely because we have chosen to love only as far as our flesh will allow, negating the power of the Holy Spirit. He never asked us to love sin. We can hate that because it hurts people. But He does encourage us to love the sinner. He Himself chooses to love us despite our sin, too. I keep thinking of the woman caught in adultery in John, Chapter 8:1-11. Read or re-read it if you get a chance.

… Why would we make a conscious choice or decision not to follow in Jesus’ example when it comes to loving and forgiving others?  Why would we choose to live beneath His power, when we have been told that our love will show the world that we are His children? Here is the goal:  This year, I encourage you to mature in your capacity and ability to love and forgive others. This is my heart’s desire going forward, too. When it begins in you, it will begin with you!

Love, -Cindy Magsig

Scripture References for Further Study:

“We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:7-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:4-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.”
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Your Passion Leads to Your Mission…

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Not long ago, I took our 3-year-old godson to the mall. In no time at all, he spotted a small carousel of rides that he wanted to ride. I began scrounging up some quarters so he could ride one of the mini action vehicles…..the helicopter one, to be exact.

Around that time, a little girl came upon the scene. Excitedly, she hopped on one of the vehicles and loudly exclaimed, “We need a mission!”

After I laughed at the cuteness of it, it hit me….”We need a mission!”

Every organization, every business, every church, every institution is birthed and exists because of a mission.

If you individualized this, I believe it holds true as well. We all need a mission to accomplish. We are hard wired FOR purpose, ON purpose.

When people cannot take hold of a mission that gives them a sense of purpose/meaning they can end up feeling very lost.

We all long to give a part of who we are to something that goes far beyond ourselves. It is central to how God created us so that we would help one another.

Can you identify your mission in life? This year is a great time to start focusing on what that is, and how you want to see it come to fruition in your life.

When we give ourselves to a mission, our sense of meaning and purpose increases exponentially.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “does my presence here on earth make any difference to anybody but me?” The answer is: YES it absolutely does. And, YES it absolutely can!

You alone can choose to make it so. It’s your life. Your passion. Your will. God will do the things you can’t do, while you are busy doing the things you can do to accomplish the mission to which you feel called.

Don’t let your passion for the mission die. It is what brings life to purpose and meaning for you, and for those you serve. Welcome to 2014. Go ahead! Be determined to make it a great year!

Love & Blessings,
-Cindy

Dig Deeper….
Read Genesis 24 (NLT)
Great story of a man on a very specific and important mission.

Questions for Personal or Small Group Study:
1.) What was the purpose of the servant’s mission? And why was it important? (v.1-4)
2.) Through whom did the servant’s mission come?
3.) What were the servants’ fears/worries about the mission? (V.5)
4.) What did the servant ask God to do to help him know his mission was on track? (v.12-14)
5.) How do we know the servant recognized God’s hand upon him? (v.26-27)
6.) What are some things that could have gotten in the way of the servant’s mission?
7.) What are the fears you have about the mission to which you feel called?
8.) What things are getting in the way, and preventing you from accomplishing your mission? How can you deal with them?