Based on John 12:20-26 (New King James Version)
“Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, ‘unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.’’”
Every human being fights for something or somethings in life. Since the moment we are born, we fight for the breath of life. And after that, we use our instincts to fight to eat when we cry. And after that, if we have the potential of mobility, we strive to go from one place to another, first crawling and then trying to stand up and walk, and so on.
As part of our instinct to strive, a human being starts to establish goals; whether they are goals to study, to work, or to get what they need or want in any kind of way possible. There are people that look for their sustenance the good way, and others look for it using not so good ways, but, in the end, everything is work. And of course, within all of the struggle, there is a price to pay. Everything has a price. So then, every struggle bears a cost. A child when wanting to walk, because of their restlessness, they pay the price of not being in the arms of their loved ones. As the young person dedicates themselves to study, they pay the price of time and effort, and being away from home. The people that get married pay the price of separation from their other loved ones and the loss of freedom (if they really want to make their marriage work, otherwise, if there isn’t a coexistence and time spent together, but rather, a power struggle or self-sufficiency, then they should prepare themselves for a divorce because it’s coming). And the person that works pays the price of time, and effort, and of separation from loved ones.
Now then, if everything has to be fought for, and everything has a price, then logic would dictate that everything should have some sort of reward. If there is no reward, then why do it, right? For example, if a child strives to walk, and thereby sacrifices the warmth of their mother’s arms, it’s because within themselves they see as a reward the ability to walk; they see the independence they have achieved as a reward. The person that studies, thereby sacrificing time, effort, money, and time away from loved ones, sees as rewards both graduation and the acquisition of more tools so they can get what they need or want. The person that works, having also sacrificed things that are similar to the one that studies (except money), see their pay as reward. Even the person that steals or does other wrongful things also sacrifices, because if you think about it, it takes more sacrifice and greater risk for those that do evil than good, because the person that breaks the law risks sacrificing their freedom and even their life with what they are doing. The price the lawbreaker could pay is much higher than the one that sacrifices themselves legally. And well, those that get married see as a reward for their sacrifices having companionship and support for years, or whatever they were looking to obtain because nowadays, many people do not marry for love. Unfortunately, there are many people that have ulterior plans or goals that are very selfish or even destructive for marriage (they see marriage as a vehicle to obtain other things they desire). Many human beings today have dark or evil intentions. But, in the end, every person desires to receive some sort of reward for their sacrifice.
So then, you have to think, “What is worth living for?” If we see things clearly, the majority of things for which people strive for today do have rewards, depending if all goes well, but they are temporary rewards. In other words, the struggle involves things that can change at any given moment, or the reward has a very limited value. For example, I give thanks to God for my health and being able to move my body freely, but if I turn my life into striving exaggeratedly to have the perfect body, spending hours upon hours in a gym, and some day, God forbid, I have an accident; what then? And if strive for a career or a job in such a way that it consumes all of my time, and lose that job or the abilities to work on that career, what else is left? And if my main focus is getting married and having children, and I do it in such a way that it turns into the center of my life, and then that fails or it ends someday (because marriages do break, and children leave, and even abandon their parents in their greatest moments of need), what else is left for me? Is it wrong to take care of your body, to look good, or to have a career, or to have a business, or a job, or a family? None of these things are bad within themselves, but you have to think about their durations, and that’s if everything goes well. There is something very certain in this life, and that is that each one of us have a limited timeline, and some have less time than others (you never know who though because everything is uncertain). And just with the simple fact of growing old (a normal process for all of us), you will lose your mobility, your abilities, your health, and people leave also, in a good way or bad. And well, if the unforeseen happens, an accident or illness, everything changes in a moment. So then, what happens with the things that man strives for?
The Bible teaches us this: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:7-10. We must strive for everything in life, but we must think about what we are striving for, and what is its reward. I am talking about something simple that eludes many people, especially the intellectuals: the reason for life. The Lord speaks to us in this passage about this concept, and that, if we strive to live life for ourselves and our goals, this life will end someday, and then what? But, if He becomes the reason for our existence, as the goal of our lives, even though this life ends, we will live forever, and everything we do for Him will come with us. Nothing in this world can give us a greater purpose to live than God because nothing in this work lasts forever. God is eternal, and we can also be eternal, and the rewards that He can give us are eternal, and no one can take that away. Here, everything ends, and everyone leaves, but God can be with us forever. So then, what are you living for? What will you reap in eternity if you only sow for what is temporary? Lord bless! John