The Point of it All

“But for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.” Job 19:25

I’ve had a lot of time to think this week, more than usual, and honestly more than I like. You see, I’ve told you all before that I deal with anxiety and anxiety can present itself in a number of ways but for me it’s always in the form of over analyzing and over thinking things that are good for me. Silence can be deafening when the only voice you can hear is your own and it doesn’t have anything good to say. What do you do when you have those moments? When things around you should be Satisfying but your mind is telling you that there’s something wrong, that there’s something to be sad about? Sometimes, there is something to be Sad about. But if you have a mind like mine that likes to create something out of every little thing, more times there’s not. And in those moments I wonder about the point of it all.

Whew. The point of “it all”? Well first we have to establish what “it all” is. When you think about what you’re working towards, the end goal, of your life, that’s what “it all” is. It has a very far off feeling to it because we like to live our lives with the hopes that we have so much more of it, and I don’t discourage that at all. But it’s much easier to do that when we’re younger. Why? Because when you’re young, the possibilities of life are endless and the point of it all is years and years down the road. But the older we get, the closer we get to “it all” and the more we start to question what it’s point is. As we look at what we’ve accomplished, or not accomplished, we get caught in either Satisfaction or Sadness or that in between place where we just aren’t sure if we’re doing enough, if we’re doing it right, or if we’re doing it “at all.”

So we ask again, what is the point of it all? Why are we here? What are we working towards? And is it worth it to do good? I’ll tell you when a person starts to have regrets in their lives about the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s in life that question comes up and with a vengeance. Is it worth it to do good in world where you can’t win? And that’s what happens with me when my anxiety starts to kick in. When I’m thinking about all the things I shouldn’t and questioning all the things I normally wouldn’t, I am always faced with the question of whether I should stand by my commitments, my moral compass, my covenants with others… my covenants with God… and what the point of it all is.

I know I’m not the only person who battles with this. And I know we are not the first. Job certainly did. When God allowed Satan to have his way with Job’s life he was presented with the option to turn from who he had always been as a person and risk it all, to feel better in that moment. Job’s response? “But for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.” (Job 19:25) That, my friends, is the point of it all. I tell my friends and clients all the time that the only right choice is the one you can live with. And that’s how Job made his choice. He knows that one day, Jesus is coming back and he will have to answer to Him for the choices he makes. And you know what that is for you based on who you are and who you have to answer to. So when you’re faced with those anxious moments, or those bouts of Sadness creeping up on your satisfactory life, remember that the point of it all is to be true to who you’ve committed to be. If you’ve committed to a relationship with a spouse, stay true to that. If you’ve committed to a walk with Christ, stay true to that. If you’ve committed to a job, or a task at work, or friendships, or an exercise and meal plan, stay true to that commitment because you will have to answer for that.

It won’t always be easy, to choose the right path. It will require dedication and sometimes a few affirmations. But keep reminding yourself that you’re worth it and the end result will far outweigh the moment of pressure. Assure yourself that God blesses those who are faithful over few with many later on. Convince yourself that you deserve to be Satisfied with the status of your life right now and it’s not worth it to throw that all away just because things have a moment where they don’t look so good. Be the positive reassurance to yourself that things ARE okay, even if for a moment they feel like they aren’t. These things can help walking that straight and narrow path a little easier. And I hope when your Redeemer stands upon the earth at last, that the point of it all led you to Him and not away.