We all have life ...but we should not sacrifice that for certain liberties or the pursuit of our happiness.


To say a person in rehabilitation for substance abuse who doesn't take drugs is as bad as one who relents and occasions again to take the drugs ...how about saying neither is bad, one is just more successful with resisting the temptation, and will more likely be able to be a good example for others struggling with similar temptations.


My Grandpa Meiner told all of his children, including my dad, that smoking was a filthy and disgusting habit that he wished he had never started ...but now he was hooked.  All six of his children grew up as non-smokers, and remained as such.  They understood the message.


There are many aspects of life, and we get the good and the bad ...but mostly it's how it is presented.  If we view the good as not that admirable, and view the bad as not that bad ...then we greatly influence the direction we take, and that of future generations.


We will never find true happiness by trying foremost to please ourselves ...because in doing so, we are giving in to the temptations, snares, and entrapments.


What brings happiness, and how do we define it?  Success, accomplishment, and winning are things that are often achieved through a competitive nature.  Others may look to health, security, and home as their main concerns.  Competitiveness can be good, and works within the free enterprise system.  But I'd rather have a symphony of togetherness as often seen with a relief effort after a disaster, or the quiet solitude of driven persistence of a Thomas Edison, than the competitiveness on a sport's field bent solely on winning.


I grew up with sports being very much a part of my hometown life.  My participation was limited  to high school football.  One of my most enjoyable moments was not an official game, but a scrimmage just prior to school starting in my senior year.  The opposing team was working on a quarterback option, and being a defensive end, it was my job to stop them.  I remember that I was the only one not blocked out of the play, as I pursued the quarterback around the end.  But, of course, their running back was flanked out to receive the pitch, if I was to commit to tackling the quarterback.  It was a good play ...and left me with only two options.   I guess that's why they call it an option play ...if I opt to go after the quarterback, he pitches the ball to the running back; and if I go for the fake pitch and he keeps the ball, well, the options are better for him than for me.  So, I didn't take either option.   I created my own option.  I ran full speed past the quarterback, grabbing his jersey on my way by ...and threw him to the ground as he desperately pitched it to the running back, whom I reached almost as soon as the ball did.  I was energized, and it was fun ...but probably not for the other team.  Some of you may say, "Oh, w-a-a-h for them!"  I know that one person's happiness may be another person's sadness.  Not that many people were watching the scrimmage, and hopefully the experience was not one of humiliation, but rather an invaluable lesson to improve upon for the upcoming regular season which is what really counts.  I've also had humiliating experiences.  The aspect I don't like about professional sports is when a good team anticipates making the playoffs, but falls short.  It's not the players that I'm referring to ...they make lots of money, and that should adequately cushion most degrees of disappointment.  I don't like all the talk in the off season, blaming this person and that person, talking about who they should get rid of.   It should be the same with politics ...those who don't perform, we just vote out in the next election. We should be loyal to our country and each other, but not to the extent where often compromise is so high that it's not even ethical.


But so much is not clear, nor cut-and-dry.  


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Twelve year old Jake wants a dog.  He says, "My best friend, Matt, just turned twelve, and his dad promised him a dog."


Jake's dad talks to Matt's dad about this.  Matt's dad says, "A co-worker of mine has a dog that is soon going to have pups.  Perhaps we can get our two boys together to discuss the proposition."


Jake is thrilled, "You won't have to do a thing, Dad!  I'll take care of everything!"


Matt's dad says, "My son professed the same commitment ...sounds like they are prepared to take on a bit of responsibility."


The pups are born, and the boys get their dogs.  Several weeks go by, and on this occasion the two boys get together again.  Matt says, "Our dog was sick last night, and vomited  all over.  My dad gagged a few times, and I thought he was going to vomit too.  He had a big mess to clean up!  He said it stunk real bad!"


Jake is thinking about this during dinner with his own family, "Dad, Matt's dad loves him so much, he cleaned up the vomit from Matt's dog's last night.  But last week when our dog vomited, you made me clean it up ...how come?"


Jake's dad speaks softly, "You agreed to take care of everything if we allowed you to have the dog, Jake."


The word "love" was mentioned in the conversation.  I ask you, who showed the most "love" towards their son?


That confused language of "love" travels into other areas, such as marriage, and even our attitude towards God.  


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Many of you have heard this next story, but you won't know which one, unless I tell you, so here goes:


A particular community is hit rather hard by a flood.  The people are panicking, but one particular man remains calm, stating he is just going to trust God.  The waters reach his front doorstep, and a raft floats by, the young boys excitedly inviting him to get aboard their raft.  The man declines their offer, stating God will take care of him.  The flood waters rise, and he moves to the second floor of his home.  A motor boat comes by to offer assistance, and the man politely refuses, stating God will take care of him.  The flood waters rise, and he climbs to the top of his roof.  A helicopter drops a rope to rescue him, but he will not accept, stating God will take care of him.   The man dies in the flood, and goes to Heaven because he trusted in God.  He asks God why He didn't save him from the flood ...that he had trusted in Him.  God says that he had sent a raft, a motor boat, and a helicopter.  
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So, our attitude and our understanding about God can be affected by so many aspects about our perspective on life.  But something must be clear to us all.   God is who He is, and He is not someone that we create by our own understanding.  God is not an image of our own confused understanding of life.


God created our planet, and populated it with plants, animals ...and us.


Our life could have been like that of a grasshopper ...from a nymph to an adult in a relatively short time.  Let's not jump to conclusions, I simply mean we could have been designed to reach adulthood in one year.  But our life involves more than just a physical process.  We are to grow, develop, and mature into what God would have us to be.   God didn't want the adult grasshoppers to return to being nymphs ...and God wants us to continue to grow as individuals, as a culture, and as a nation.


The first mention of love in the Bible, was proceeded by obedience and sacrifice.  What is sacrifice?   Well, the word involves many descriptions, but it could be said that it involves giving up something we would otherwise not want to ...the rational perspective and aim for the benefit of others; or to simply follow the guidelines or instructions.  Simply, we could call the latter ...obedience. 


For those who don't believe in God, this perhaps already has made you feel uncomfortable, or as some would say, ruffled your feathers.  Comfort can provide security, but it can also develop into complacency.  Being uncomfortable may be an indication that something is wrong, yet, on the other hand, it may compel you to work that much harder to make it right.  How do we know what affect it will have?   We do not!  But the result will
be greatly impacted by our attitude, and our motivation; which either steers us in the right direction, or we resort to an unsettled and unsatisfied sort.


So, if we don't want to admit to being an ungrateful and unreasonable sort ...then perhaps we can bear with the conversation a bit longer.


God created man and woman, and gave them basically only one rule.  I hear so much about parents burdening their children with too many rules.  


Newsflash!!    They wouldn't be able to handle just one rule either.


I remember my dad saying that his dad had lots of sayings too ...so, I don't know who is really responsible for saying it, yet I guess it would be anyone who would say it.   I didn't like it being said, but that is probably partly because the saying is for the most part true.   Okay, okay ...I know, out with it!!  Here it is:  "I'm going to keep you so busy, you won't have time to get into trouble."   At that time, I didn't think trouble was looming around every corner, but it is.  God started out with one rule, but then there seemed to be rules for everything.  It seemed that the people couldn't remain focused on what they were supposed to do ...so, they were kept busy.


It would be a long time coming for them to get to where God wanted them to be ...and learning had lots to do with it, so they would have to endure the long haul.  And akin to learning is teaching.  They had to teach their children.  And children only come about one way.  When they were told to multiply, it was not referring to learning their times tables.  To endure and survive, one usually increases in numbers.  If a farm was to survive, they usually had children, in hopes that they would later run the farm.  If a business is to survive, it looks to increase its customers, which then requires the business to produce more, which necessitates a larger work force.


Simply put, God said He wanted them to multiply, and that can only happen when the standard is for man and woman to have that special relationship ...if they did not, they would have never reached the event of Jesus being born on earth. (Yet, I am not ignorant of that being the only time where God had a baby conceived in this unique miraculous fashion.)


We can't look at the life God would have us have, without looking at the afterlife.  Our life here on earth involves much learning and nurturing.  So, when we aspire to the ideal of maintaining life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ...we must look beyond the surface.  Liberty is freedom ...and our being free from sin.  Jesus took care of the part where we needed to be free from the penalty of sin ...but we also need to do our part to try not to live freely in sin.  If we aspire to being free from God, then I think that could not be more accurately described than what is called Hell.  


The pursuit of happiness is two-fold ...and involves polar opposites.  If we pursue our happiness by pleasing God, and avoiding sin as best we can, then we are certainly on the right path.  But if we define happiness and pursue it merely as a furthering of our own selfish desires ...we have not matured much at all, and will constantly gauge happiness by criteria that looks to (covets) achieving more than contentment.


If I must define sin, it is a direction, taking our eyes off the path we should follow.  Perhaps it's a voice we think we like, one we had not previously heard ...or perhaps we find ourselves unprepared to hear.


But whether we hear the words, or read the Word for ourselves ...the truth must find its way to us.   Who would not want to enjoy eternal happiness?