Life has no Easy Buttons

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  1 Corinthians 9:24

 

Making no bones about it, we have been taught since being knee high to fire hydrants that the shortest distance between point A and B is to get there as fast as possible.  This means, taking the path of lest resistance, such as a straight line not going around the block to reach a goal or destination.   In business we often hear short cuts can lead to disasters, and much frustration.  Yet time and time again, society searches for quick fixes to riches, fame, weight loss, superficial beauty you name we want it now not tomorrow.   For many people who actually attempt to get in the trenches of life working through blood, sweat and tears find it unacceptable when whiners complain about how hard life is even though they never got off their lazy butts.  Their goal is to forever search for an Easy Button hoping some genie will pop out, making everything magically delicious!    

Over hearing a person vent about their life crisis, it prompted me to conger up this passage.  It also forced me analyze myself as an adult, my care free days are now some distant world only found in my mind, the teenage years of no fear have been replaced with doubt and worry and life is not a cake walk by no stretch of the imagination. These minute memories are like grains of sand slowly dropping through the hour glass, which finally awakens me from my zombie state realizing wow, at one point in life I was lethargic and desired the easy button too. 

The apostle Paul wrote in Corinthians, stay focused, win the prize and be prepared because the young believers of that time were led off track because they enjoyed the posh life, easy come easy go. Despite the carefree lifestyle, Paul continued to encourage the people to strive for a crown or prize by comparing life’s prize to a race in which all run but only one receives the trophy, run in such a way that you may obtain it Cor. 9:24-27.  

This race Paul speaks of is life, the one each of us run daily, the prize is life everlasting. No matter where you are right now in life there will be pitfalls, temptations, moments we want to give up and throw in the towel nevertheless we have to condition our minds, bodies, and spirits to endure this race until the end.  Like an athlete, we need to train ourselves for this marathon by reading, studying, learning as much as our mind body and soul can withstand.  This is a race for the kingdom of heaven as well as the race to accomplish God’s dreams, visions, and purpose He has bestowed each of us with.  

So what is the end result?  God gives us the victory through Jesus Christ learn to discipline yourself, pray with the spirit, pray for understanding and remember you really do have an easy button, just click it, Jesus is on the main line waiting for you to call! It’s just that easy.