I look around me, and as I stand on a bridge leading to adulthood, I see so many opportunities that I could choose to pursue, that thinking of them all at once scares me to death. But it's not just opportunities in abundance. My life is overflowing with stuff in general. I'm a girl who lives in a two story house. I have my own room; a car to drive; a closet stuffed with clothes; a fancy camera; a cute dog; a bookshelf full of books; my own computer. And the list just goes on and on and on. There are so many things that could fill my day, from music, to art, to pinterest, to that waiting TV show, and the next chapter of that novel I'm reading. Living in this culture, I automatically find myself sucked into a fruitless cycle of filling my head with worthless song lyrics, pointless books and movies, a search for that cute top and skirt, only because it's the trend, it's all the rage, it's what's in style. And suddenly it's all I think about, all I talk about.
I once read a quote that said: "Where your mind wanders to is where your heart truly is."
I want to think I read my bible everyday, that I pray for an hour in the morning. I'd like to think that God comes first in every part of my life, that He fills my waking thoughts in the morning, and stays on the forefront of my mind all day long. That His love is what my mind wanders to when I'm thinking of nothing in particular. But if I keep telling myself that, I'd be lying.
This culture bombards me on all sides with it's glamour, it's glitter, with it's intoxicating charm. And every day I fall for it. I can't help but want my appearance to be smashing, want to know the lyrics to that song everyone's singing, to read that book everyone talks about, to see that TV show everyone quotes. The pull is unbeatable.
But then, when I'm most engrossed in the charm of the world, the words of scripture hit me like a hammer. "All is vanity." All the things of this world, all the allurement, all the glitter, all the rage. It's all vanity. It's passing away, it's fading. Like a flower blooms, then fades, so the charms of this world glitter for a moment then are gone, leaving emptiness, fruitlessness, and pointlessness in it's destructive wake. And all the hours, all the days, all the years that we danced in it's glories are then gone to waste. And I'm forced to ask myself: Is is worth it? Is that momentary high worth it? If I really force myself to think about it, the answer would be no.
When I asked Christ into my heart, I was giving my life up to him. When I fill my hours with vain and fruitless enjoyment, I'm not serving him, but my own flesh. I'm focusing on my own desires and pleasures, and not looking heavenward. I'm not considering eternity. I'm not seeking the Lord's glory.
I'm not saying I need to loose my spark, that a little bit of glitter and light in life is bad. I'm not saying I need to be dull and drab. I'm saying, what I do I need to do for God's glory. Not for my friends, not for myself. I need to look at what God wants from my life and base my behavior, my words, my pursuits on what would bring Him glory. God has blessed me with wonderful things, and it isn't wrong to enjoy them. I just need to be careful that they don't become my main focus. I need to be careful not to be swept away by the world's vanities, but to be looking Heavenward.
