Under the Sun

One of my favorite hobbies is reading about or listening to studies on the book of Revelation in the Bible.  I call it a hobby because a hobby is meant to help take our minds off our problems and worries.  The book of Revelations does that for me because it puts everything into perspective, and there is a happy ending.  I like to know that no matter how much I have failed or will fail in life that Jesus has a place for me when He returns; a place where there will be endless paradise, with no more troubles or disappointments.

To put it lightly, I know it may be strange for a person to enjoy a non-fiction book that talks about all kinds of plagues and destruction, but as when watching an adventurous movie in which good overcomes evil, so it is to me in this prophetic book.  There is excitement to know that the troubles in our present life are not permanent, but temporal.  King Solomon, the wisest man of his time said it well, “…there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles 1:9).  There are times when we experience various pleasures and success, but we also experience troubles of all kinds, and failures when we thought we would succeed.  In all of this, if we listen to the words of Solomon, we know it is like a cycle of life that we all experience.

Yet, there is one escape that we all have access to.  We can all have the hobby of thinking about an eternal future that is not subject to the cycle of life as we know it.  This is something that we are instructed to do from God’s word.  In the book of Colossians 3:2 the Apostle Paul writes: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”  The things that are on earth are familiar to all of us but may differ for each person. 

Abraham Maslow’s does a good job to summarize our earthly concerns: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization.  These do not include the wants that we may also have.  For certain, we all want our needs met, and at least most of us would like to get at least some of the things we want in life.  Unfortunately, because of the challenges that are a part of this life on earth things such as anxiety, depression, and other emotional problems will interrupt the more desirable seasons.  It is an experience that each of us have while living under the sun.

Fortunately, we have something to look forward to, or something that we can do while waiting for the “good” seasons to return.  We can remember that for those who accept Jesus into their hearts, there will be an eternal life of fulfillment.  There are even promises that some of this can be experienced in this life, but it will happen for certain when Jesus returns for his people, which could happen at any time.

Your hobby may be very different from mine.  It could be playing golf or lifting weights, but the point is to avoid getting too caught up into the circle of life, or that which is under the sun.  I like the book of Revelations because it helps me to think about that which is above the sun, rather than below it.  Take a break today and think about the things that are above.