A Different Angle

A champion runner falls down and cannot finish the race.

A famous driver crashes at Indy and cannot finish the 500.

A popular writer gets writer’s block and never publishes another book.

A student with multiple degrees fails in the choice of his career.

A very loving couple ends up in divorce court.

All people fall short of their goals; few can claim total success. More often than not, the few that do claim success are oftentimes unhappy, feeling unfulfilled.

Those who are content with their lives still have a little twitch, an itch they cannot quite scratch.

People often do harm to themselves or do harm to others — maybe without even knowing it.

There’s an old expression which is usually conveyed in an unserious and perhaps rude and mocking way: “Ain’t that a sin!”

Actually it is. “Sin” in the Bible means missing the target, falling short of the goal; doing harm to oneself or to others. God wants only the best results for everyone. However, a person has to allow God to be their heavenly Father. If a person doesn’t have free will, how can they choose to love someone, anyone?

Choose to allow Jesus to save you from yourself, not missing out, not dropping out, not “crapping out,” but bringing you into a personal relationship with God who loves you and wants you to succeed. However, what you think of as being successful… that might be a stumbling block, or it might be like catching your foot on a high hurdle at a track meet. That is to ask, “What is the meaning of my life anyway?” To love one another?

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” — 1 John 4:10 “Our sins,” meaning all the harmful things in our lives which we have done, hurting ourselves or hurting others, knowingly or totally unaware. What Jesus provides is a fresh start.

God has set a course for us to run and for all Humanity, but each person has to register to enter and must begin at the starting line. No cheating allowed.

“Love one another,” as you will learn, “as Jesus has loved you.”

(“Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” — John 13:34, NLT

Again, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” — 1 John 4:10