What would your ideal life look like?

For some of us, we imagine sitting on a warm beach with an unlimited supply of cold drinks.  Others imagine not having to work another day of their life.  Some imagine just having unlimited time to do something…if you asked them what they probably wouldn’t know.

None of these things are necessarily bad.  Rest and relaxation are both great ideas.  Without either one, we can quickly burn out and fail to thrive.

However, today on Good Friday, I’m glad that Jesus followed through with the mission he came to earth to accomplish!  That mission was to experience great pain and suffering so that you and I could receive the free gift of eternal life.

It could have been otherwise.  After all, Jesus was tempted three times after praying and fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights.  You can read about that in Matthew chapter 4.

I know it may be difficult for some to believe that Jesus was tempted to abandon his mission while here, but we see it all throughout the scriptures.

I’m glad he stayed on course.

In the words of a wiseman, we can pay now and play later or play now and pay later.

Just as Jesus was tempted to live a pain-free life of ease, so are we.  Let’s face it, not many people get excited about the thought of pain and difficulty.

The question is, what would you do right now if you could walk away from everything?  Think about it.  If you could abandon all responsibility and commitments today, what would you do?

Again, it might mean living the rest of your days on a beach or sunny place.  Maybe you’d quit your job or leave your spouse.

Look before you leap!  There is a vast difference between living the life you’ve always imagined and living the life that God has ordered for you.  Left to our own ways, we usually take the path of least resistance.  Yes, it feels good doing it…for a while, but eventually it doesn’t feel so good anymore.

That may sound like bad news or pessimistic.  The truth is that joy is a derivative of a life well lived.  Just as gas is a by-product of oil, joy is the by-product of a purposeful life.  Seek out joy exclusively and you won’t find it but take the road that leads to it and you’ll arrive in due time.

Hugh Hefner is an example of someone who sought joy and never found it.  Billy Graham, I guarantee you, found joy.  Why?  Because experiencing joy is not a mystery.  We experience joy when we are fulfilled.  And taking the path of least resistance never leads to joy, only regret and remorse.

The last thing any one of us wants is to reach the end of our life and find out that we were running toward the wrong end zone.

So how do we avoid that tragedy?  We follow the example of Jesus.  Rather than just doing as we please, we live the life God has orchestrated and designed for us.  It’s not a great mystery.  Many have tried it and found a life of purpose and meaning.

Today is a celebration of the fact that Jesus accomplished his mission on earth.  But more than that, it is a call for all of us to find out how we can carry out his last wishes and continue the work he came to do.

So today I’m glad that Jesus didn’t take the path of least resistance and abandon the mission he came to accomplish.  Because of his example, each one of us can have peace knowing that despite our greatest hopes, we will all experience pain and difficulties in this lifetime.  Yet none of us should avoid the hard things in life just because they’re painful.

Most people live according to their emotions and prejudices, but we don’t have to.  If we’re going to go the distance we need to rise above our emotions and prejudices.  Jesus did, and it made a world of difference for the entire world!

The choice is yours, you can live life as you please or follow the example of the wisest man who ever lived.

The bible says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” Proverbs 14:12.