One undeniable factor that drives us to progress is the innate sense, “There must be more to life than this!”

It’s Friday today and the reason why we look forward to the weekend is because our weekdays are mundane and we’ve been subconsciously asking, “There must be more to life than work and the weekend will provide that ‘something.'”

But then the weekends come and go and we find ourselves right back in the same place, asking, “Is this really all there is to life?”

Why do we seek for a better career? Because we think a better life is to be had there. (More prestige & money)
Why do we long for a long vacation? Because we think life is better there. (Hawaii vs Tacoma!)
Why do we seek to get married, have children, retire, etc? Because we believe life will be better once we get there.

If you are of age, you have gotten “there” a numerous times. Marriage. Honeymoon. Vacations. Children. Promotions. Dream home. Even retirements… And yet, we cannot shake the feeling, “There must be more to life than this!”

A young man in the Book of Matthew thought the same. (Matt 19) He had everything a person could want – youth, wealth, moral upbringing. And yet he felt something was missing. He was asking, “Is this all there is to life?” Then, he heard Jesus preach one day. And he sensed that Jesus might have the answer to his question. So, he asks, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”

How did he know he was lacking something? He was already doing everything Jesus was teaching people to do! But he intuitively knew that there is more to life than even religion and being good and doing good. He was at his wit’s end. He didn’t know what he was missing…

Then, Jesus tells him what he’s missing. He was missing Jesus. Jesus said to him, “… come, follow me.” (v. 21)

But there was one stipulation. And that is, to follow Jesus, the young man had to abandon everything. In other words, Jesus had to be the only pursuit of his life from now on. But this, he wasn’t willing to do. Isn’t it ironic? He chose to hang onto to those things that gave him no lasting pleasure or meaning that made him ask, “what am I still lacking?” and yet he wasn’t willing to let go of those things!

What if you had Jesus and nothing else? Would you be satisfied?

As I’m asking you, I’m also asking myself. “Would I be O.K. with only Jesus without my wife, children, and the ministry?”

What I need is not for those things to be diminished in value, so that I won’t value them more than Jesus. What I need is for Jesus to become more real in my life so that everything else will pale in comparison, even the ones as valuable as my family.

May Jesus become so real and valuable in your life and my life that we stop seeking for satisfaction elsewhere.

PH