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My 9 year old and I were snuggled on the couch, eating ice cream and watching Food Network. On commercial breaks, he would talk about his night at gymnastics and the crazy things he and his friends managed to do.
Melted chocolate endearingly dried on his nose and around his laughing mouth, which made up for his stinky pits and smelly gym clothes.
We chatted and watched another round of commercials…
Lays potato chips, a pizza advertisement, and then an ad for recycling furniture with a tagline of, “so that we can have more”.
I thought nothing of it, as I scrolled my Instagram account, but my son broke in with, “That’s just so not why we are here.”
Me, “Huh?” Recycling is a good thing….
But he went on, tossing his spoon into his bowl and sitting up straighter,
“More of this and less of that…,” his eyes became clear and focused with a look I’ve come to know and love.
“And freaking out because you have a tight budget….
it’s just not the point. It’s not why we’re here.”
My own eyes softened as I looked into his that were filled with clarity and purpose. “And why are we here then?” I asked, absorbed by his passion, drawn in like a magnet.
He picked up his spoon and looked at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “To tell people about Jesus.”
My heart flooded as my eyes did too. I reached out to tousle his hair and whispered, “You’re so right; that’s exactly why we’re here.”
The hallmark moment ended as he jumped up to show me his signature victory dance move that he had been perfecting and I rolled my eyes before we settled in to finish our show and our ice cream.
But that 45 second exchange, put the whole “New Year’s Resolution” idea in perspective.
Lose weight, eat right, visit the gym more, stay on budget, read more….
All great things, all things I’ve even put on my list, but I’m missing it, you’re missing it, if that’s where our lists end. If sharing Jesus’ grace and truth through our relationships, our love for people, our generosity, our investment in family, and even the way we speak doesn’t make our “lists” of where we pour our focused attention, we’ve missed the whole reason we’re here.
And maybe you haven’t decided about Jesus and all that faith stuff yet.
Maybe you’ve carried some doubts and some fears, or even some anger about God that have kept you from seeking Him anymore.
Perhaps this is your year to find out why you’re really here in the first place and explore the claims of Christ.
Because, just what if we were meant for more than seeking after more….