Most of us know the story. He came down to Earth. He became one of us. He paid the ultimate penalty and died for us so that we could have everlasting life. Do we really know? Do we take what he did for granted every single day of our lives? Some of you reading this may be thinking "Curtis, why can't you keep writing letters to high school athletes or meaningless lists about small towns," but, in reality this article may be one of the most meaningful ones I have yet to write for the Odyssey. And I promise this is not a religious rant, but it is coming straight from my heart and this has become something that has consumed my thoughts daily. In our short lifetime that we have here on Earth, what are we doing to repay Jesus for what he did for us? We like to live comfortably in our everyday lives and go to class or work without feeling out of place or talking to someone we don't know about God, but for those of us as Christians, we should be looking for opportunities to talk to people about what He did for us.
Although I adore all of the people that read and share my articles, I have to say we're selfish as human beings. And I am not calling out anyone specifically because I am a selfish human being as well. I focus too much about how many shares I get each week on these articles or how many likes I get on a Facebook photo and I shouldn't. In our everyday lives we care so much about how much money am I going to make, will it be enough to pay my bills, how many likes did I get on my Instagram photo, do the clothes I'm wearing make me look good enough, how am I going to pay for my college education? If we slow down and take just a minute to realize that if the Creator of the Universe could raise up the mountains and calm the raging sea, then we would see that we don't have to worry about any of that. If he has gotten us this far, who are we to say that he won't keep us afloat for the rest of our time we have in this difficult world. God will never give us a burden that is too difficult for us to handle, and the non-believers reading this may say "I have lots of burdens that I can't handle right now because they're too big for me to control." What I would encourage you to do is to just trust. If you trust in him there's nothing too big or too small that you can't tackle with him by your side. You may think that he doesn't love you or doesn't want to help you, but I guarantee you he does. He loves you more then you know, but you still just need to trust.
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Trust is something a lot of us struggle with as humans. We've been hurt by someone and we lose trust. We've been lied to and we lose trust. But I can promise you that there is nothing better to put your complete trust in than Jesus. It's easy to trust in him during the difficult times when you have nowhere and no one else to turn to, but it is much more difficult to trust in him during the times where everything is going well and you feel like you can continue doing well in this life all on your own. Well, I hate to tell you this but you can't do it alone, and if you put your faith in Him you don't have to. Trust can be a great thing, and if it is put in Him he will bless your life more than you can imagine.
You may say to me "I can't just trust and try to love something that doesn't exist." What I would say to you is this. Look around you. Look at the mountains, the trees, the oceans, your family. Something as amazing and beautiful as that does not come into existence by accident. Something more knowledgeable and powerful than any of us could ever imagine had to carve out those mountains and had to place the water perfectly within the depths of the oceans. And that Being who created everything wants you to love him and follow him. I know it may be difficult for a lot of you as it's been difficult for me at times, but just think about how much it all really matters in the grand scheme of things. As your laying on your death bed one day with minutes left in your life will all those nights at the bar really matter? Will the amount of girlfriends or boyfriends you've had matter? Will making a lot of money matter? Those material things may matter at the moment to you, and things like money may help you live a comfortable life, but it shouldn't be what's most important.
As you lay there with your final minutes approaching I hope and pray that all of you can say "I was genuinely happy every day because I had a God-sized hole in my heart that was filled by Jesus' love for me, and I lived the life Jesus wanted for me and followed what he called me to do." And as your final second ticks away and your spirit makes its way towards the Judge, what will you hear when you make it there? Will you hear "welcome good and faithful servant" and walk through the gates into the streets of gold to live with your Creator for eternity, which we as narrow-minded humans can't completely grasp, but eternity means forever. Never ending, never changing, there is no end in sight. And that is an amazing thing if God welcomes you into his kingdom. But what if he doesn't? What if he says to you "depart from me I never knew you." But luckily for you, you're still here on this Earth and have a chance to live a life that can end in the ultimate reward of entering Heaven.
Some of you might believe that you don't go anywhere when you die. No Heaven. No Hell. Just into a casket in the ground. And if that's the case, then great, we don't have to worry about where we spend eternity and we can live a life in any form or fashion that we want. But what if you're wrong? What if there is a Heaven and a Hell? And we are destined to enter one of them after our short time on Earth is over. That is why choosing to live a life for God is so fulfilling, because if you truly believe that there is a life after death then you know that you are taken care of when you die. And that is why I think it is important to tell my closest friends and even people who aren't my friends that there is something more for them to live for here on this Earth because the ultimate prize is what lies ahead after we pass on.
Just let the concept of eternity sink in because when you think of something that is never ending it can be very unsettling and impossible for us to wrap our minds around, and I pray that all of you who read this strive to live your life for the reward that ends in "welcome good and faithful servant." I hope that this article has spoken to you in a way that makes you think about how you've lived your life thus far, and if it has been one to repay everything God has done for you. I can promise you that you won't regret it because He is the only thing that matters.
