The Purpose of Living

My screensaver on my computer

I wake up and see it's 3:30 a.m. and go to the kitchen for a cup of tea. With my bible I settle into my lazy boy and open the Word at the beginning. There I read about how God created light and the account of how the earth was made. After reading that I get to the part that says, "Let us make people in our image to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life. So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them." Then God blessed them.

A bit further on in the account I read about how he communicated with man. The rest of the bible is full of this communication between man and God. So I relax and think about this for a while until Maggie, my wife comes to the lounge and looks at the messages on her mobile phone. She discovers that my nephew committed suicide. Shocking news! My mind is full of questions about how this could have happened, but no answers come to mind. He seemed to be living such an idyllic life - a pretty wife, an interesting job, living in a beautiful place at the coast, and on and on!

I consider my life. I enjoyed a year of abundance until recently when my surplus funds slowly dried up and now I depend on God for work on a daily basis to survive. Having worked for myself for 24 years I have seen God's hand of provision and protection all the time in many different ways and circumstances. That alone is my miracle and story. It keeps me going and enjoying life every single day. It is the fuel of my life and without it I would not exist.

So, as sad as this morning may be because someone important to my sister gave up, my heart goes out to her and his family and everyone near to him. May this God that I know heal their hearts and fill them with peace. For myself, I will continue my journey through this world living with hope in good and expecting my God to smile on me and be there for me when I wake up each morning. What else is there to look forward to?

If I keep my eyes fixed on the world and the total chaos unfolding in my country then I can see how someone much younger than me can give up. But I prefer to focus on things that can only be grasped by faith.

Comments

  1. Unknown12 November 2015 at 05:31

    A fuel to keep pressing on, is a trait that I wish many people had embedded in their hearts at a young age, as this straight is one that keeps myself falling forward, and try harder.

    ReplyDelete
  2. New Dimensions12 November 2015 at 07:46

    I love good comments. Thank you. Giving up is never an option. Never give up, never surrender! - Galaxy Quest.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How I Started Watercolour Painting

Image
This is an update. The picture above is one of my favourites because it is colourful and tells a story. Sometimes I get a sudden surge of inspiration and produce something I really like. I was still very new to watercolour painting and still managed to produce a nice piece of art.  On a recent trip to the Cape I met a lady who owns a gallery in Worcester, Western Cape called Worcester Gallery. She was a real inspiration and gave me her full attention as we discussed watercolour art. She liked the images of my paintings which I showed her on my mobile phone and encouraged me to keep on painting and send some of my artwork to her. When someone you don't know gives you that sort of encouragement, then you really feel more motivated and appreciated. Her advice was that I should pick a theme and master it, which was buildings. Hence my latest effort is in the picture above. I would like her to know that I really appreciate her kind words. I met with two other ladies after that who also ...
Read more

Karate - Self Defense at Shorei Martial Arts Academy (Kempton Park)

Image
Here is a new video of karate and self-defense demonstrations taken during the grading in November 2017. Congratulations to the following gents who received their certificates on Saturday 30 September Mark Pretorius (3rd dan); Hennie Esterhuisen (4th dan); Tony de Beer (instructor 7th dan); Mzoxolo Maki (1st dan). From left to right. Karate is an excellent form of self-defense, something that applies to everyone, young and old. "Karate, a martial art, was developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手?), "hand"; tii in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane. Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital-point strikes a...
Read more

French Toast for Mom

Image
  French Toast for Mom happened on May 12th 2024. It was a beautiful sunny day when we drove to the place in Hartebeespoort which is located next to some mountains with a huge dam on one side. It has always been a favourite recreation area since the 1970s (for me anyway). We arrived early in the morning and walked around the place while waiting for our son to park his car. During that time we took a few photographs in front of some French-looking displays. Once our son parked the car and joined us, we entered the venue area and found a table with an umbrella where we could order some breakfast. Since it was Mother's Day all the focus was on Maggie to make the day special for her. Once breakfast arrived, Maggie started enjoying the meal. Due to unforseen circumstances the platform where I posted the link to my book is not performing correctly and I have to look for an alternative method to advertise and sell my book. I apologize for the delay and inconvenience.
Read more