BUCKET-LIST

I remember as a lad, in my early thirties, of the many things I wanted to do before I died. Like many of my generation, the thought of war with Russia was always pretty close to the surface and, so, we needed something else to draw our minds and our concerns about war from the fore. And, so, with others, I created my first ‘bucket-list’.

On this day I have no idea what my first compilation was listed as my desires; however, I am sure I could recreate most of it. But now the question is ever there, “Why?”

Intense research into the notion of the bucket-list revealed some interesting understandings of the human ‘need’ for its creation. It seems the ‘bucket-list’ is a result of discontent with one’s current life and tends to be a projection of this feeling into what might happen next. Dissatisfaction, discontent, or malcontent, appear to be symptoms of a lack of fulfillment within one’s life and a way of reaching past the feeling.

Not much has changed in these latter years, particularly within the current state of international affairs. Wars in the Middle East, starvation in Africa, population shifts throughout the world are all forces which bring the un-grounded human mind to a point of needing to escape. What causes our minds to become ungrounded?

For many of us, in this day, the thought of where we are heading is not far from the front of our thoughts. We do not have a sense or notion of anything or anyone who keeps us stable. There is always a lack of security just hovering just beyond our conscious awareness. Hence, we are ungrounded. Just the very notion of the bucket-list indicates to us that we see death as the end and not a new beginning. This is antithetical to our very notion of God’s plans for us, when we leave this mortal coil and join Him in eternity. Our thinking is not stable, and we keep looking for that next ‘thing’ which will draw us away. Is there not anything we can do to help our minds and thinking become stable?

Only one can do this – that which gives us a sense of security and an innate understanding of stability within our life. That would be God Himself.

For most humans on this planet, today, God is a confusing concept. Many who do believe in a god, do not seem to have a firm grasp on his character or have created a character for him/her, which embodies those aspects we desire to find within ourselves. What else might we do?

Beloved, we do have a God with a very clear, universal character who has a very clearly stated desire to form a relationship with us and desires to help our thinking and our doing become firmly grounded within His plans for us. This is not conjecture; this is very clearly stated in Scripture. Let’s go first to Jeremiah 31:3, where we hear Yahveh (God) sharing with the Prophet: From a distance Adonai appeared to me, [saying,] “I love you with an everlasting love;
this is why in my grace I draw you to me.” We know the Prophets of Israel spoke to the people. Their ‘job’ was to turn the people back to worshipping the Ruler of the universe and the Lover of their souls. We are the people also to whom Yahveh was speaking, through His Word. Let us also look to Revelation 3:20, wherein we hear Adonai Yeshua, the Lord Jesus, declaring to us: Here, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If someone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me. We learn by inference the ‘door of our heart’ only has a knob on the inside – it cannot be opened from the outside. Thus, God Himself, in the form of our Messiah, needs us to allow Him in, in order to have a relationship with us.

Beloved, again I ask. If you are insecure about your life, if you have difficulties accepting what you are facing in your daily existence, why don’t you try reaching out to Yahveh, through Adonai Yeshua, and claim the love He offers you?

CONSIDER: Do you need a relationship with Yahveh, the God of the universe? Before you answer this question, consider the state of your own life: are you content, I mean really content, with what is happening around and within you? Is there full satisfaction within your life today, without reservation?

ACT: Get on your knees and ask the Ruler of the universe and the Lover of your soul to help you understand the quality of your life. Begin at this state of humility and all our Heavenly Father to interact with you.

PRAY:  Abba, Father, I am wondering this earth in a state of angst and uncertainty. Hep me understand how you will be able to keep me focused and grounded within the love you have promised through Jeremiah. I need that promise to be activated in my life. In Your Precious Name I pray.

May the God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you richly