Peter Pan said, “You can have anything in life if you sacrifice everything else for it.”
Peter wasn’t wrong. Paul put it a little differently.
Philippians 3:7, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”
Chasing the Fog
Accomplishments: many people, men, more likely, have sacrificed everything else to gain power, privilege, wealth, or fame. The worldly trappings and the expectations of others drove their view of self-worth; they believed Peter Pan before they believed Paul. They thought the uneasiness they felt was due to not having enough. It was just the next thing that would make a difference. Many would look back on their lives and see they had sacrificed everything in vain.
“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.”—Jim Collins
I don’t want to be that man. I want my life to count for something. I want to leave a legacy that will echo through eternity. In my death, I want to be bigger than life itself.
Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.”
Gravitational Pull of the World
The world pulls at us with the gravitational pull of the Sun. It wants to keep us in its orbit of mundane, meaningless accomplishments. Eventually, our orbit will decay, and we will find nothing but a fiery finish. When time has run out, we realize that all we have accumulated will be forgotten or exploited by others we have never met. We cannot reach back for a do-over. The do-over starts now.
Ecclesiastes 5:15, “Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.”
Joy is a choice, and God wants us to choose joy, but happiness is also part of God’s plan. Not perpetual happiness with laughs and birthday cake, but true deep-down happiness that grows from the soul. The type of happiness that brings tranquil sleep. It is a happiness that radiates throughout your body in quiet moments of reflection. It is a contentment that nothing else can give.
Never is a Long Time
Peter Pan also said, “Never is an awfully long time.” To never experience the pure love of Christ is indeed a long time. It makes life a marathon in Death Valley rather than a walk in the park. To always have to trust in yourself is exhausting. To always have to know the answers, have a plan, and make a move is to live a life full of anxiety and worry.
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Seeking His kingdom and righteousness is not just putting your sights on eternity with Christ; it is to live a life worth living here on Earth. It is to free yourself from chasing the esteem of others and only pursuing God. It is about having faith, knowing that Christ is with you, and knowing your needs will be met. There will be setbacks and challenges, but you are not alone. You do not have to create the person that God wants you to be; God already created them; you must find them within yourself.
“People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”—Edmund Hillary
Peter Pan, “To have faith is to have wings.”
Peter Pan wasn’t all wrong, but I’ll take Paul.