At the funeral of wealthy Howard Hughes someone remarked,” I wonder what he left behind.” To which another remarked, “All of it.” What kind of expectations do you have for yourself? Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief?
Don’t sweat it. God gives us what we need and he doesn’t expect us to bring earthly treasures to His door and pay for entrance. You don’t arrive at His gate with a bucket full of cash and demand entrance. It’s an eternal life that we are talking about not some few years on this earth making fortunes and losing them.
Here are some suggestion s for living God’s way.
Celebrate the wonder of grace. Believe in grace more and more each day. Ponder grace, praise God for grace, preach grace and live grace. By doing this we can remain confident and upbeat when life doesn’t live up to our expectations. God loves me just as I am and He faithfully accepts me with all my faults. I can accept myself because he has already accepted me with my strengths and weaknesses. That does not mean that I give in to laziness and irresponsibility. It does mean that I am not overwhelmed with guilt and can deal with life constructively. Life it not just getting somewhere. It is a process of how are we getting on His wavelength.
Celebrate what is rather than what might have been. I rejoice in what is happening rather than bemoaning what isn’t happening. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in Life Together, “If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed . . . we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow to the measure and the riches which are in Christ Jesus.” If things are not the exact way we want them to be, adjust! Enjoy the world as you have it rather than dream of greener grass.
Keep a sense of humor. Norman Cousins calls laughter “internal jogging.” George MacDonald said that the heart that is unsure of God is afraid to laugh. Don’t let the lesser issues of life control you. But by the grace of God I am what I am.