Getting Life in Perspective

7/3/2009

We took this picture alongside the Sea of Galilee—not far from Cana where Jesus was with his mother and some friends as a young man, celebrating a wedding, as you recall. : )

Imagine how this young Jewish couple below viewed their upcoming life during these “perfect” moments, with photographs for their album alongside the Sea of Galilee of all places. Pretty cool, eh?

These young people photographed here……are now wrinkled and in their forties, perhaps with grandchildren, or deathly ill, or homeless, or deceased, or statistically not together at all.

What makes all the difference, in a world full of obstacles, challenges, confusion, misfortune, injustice, health issues, tragedies, and misunderstandings?

Not fun. Not hormonal preferences, or fleshly desires. Not personality. Certainly not money. Not health, nor talent, nor geography, nor biology.

Here’s the question:

Were they, are they, building their lives and loves on obedience to the Teachings of Jesus—or living their own lives, calling their own shots based on their desires, and trying to be “good people” at their own discretion and whim.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the preachers.