I like pocket
t-shirts. They are just a little
dressier than a regular t-shirt, and the pocket is handy for pens and notes. They come in packages of about six or so, and
the packages usually contain assorted colors.
No problem so far.
These days, however, people
may give meaning to the colors that you wear.
If you wear a red t-shirt, they may think you are a Republican, or they
may think you are Democrat if you wear a blue one. This also holds true for the color of your
baseball cap … perhaps even more so.
If you wear green and
yellow, people may think you are a Green Bay Packers fan. Where I live people wear blue and orange in
support of the Boise State football team, and if you wear green and yellow,
they may think you are a Colorado State University fan. Treason!
I once went into a
discount department store in a gang neighborhood in the Denver area, and a
clerk warned me about the colors I was wearing.
He said that wearing those colors in that neighborhood might get me in
trouble.
Yesterday, I wore a red
pocket t-shirt and blue trousers. I hope
I didn’t confuse anybody. I wore the
t-shirt because it was clean, and the pants were an old pair of Dockers that I
wear when I do yard work. I bought them
at an estate sale for 50 cents, and I have owned them for years. I think I got my money’s worth. There was no meaning intended in wearing
those colors. I just wore those clothes to
work in the yard.
Viktor Frankl wrote about
finding meaning in existence. He was a holocaust
survivor, and he was profoundly affected by his experience of life. In graduate school, one of my professors
recommended that her students read Frankl, and I tried to read one of his books
(The Will to Meaning). What he
had to say was mostly lost on me, but experience
and advanced age have taught me the importance of living a meaningful life.
Soon, I will be 75 years
old. I am approaching the end of my
earthly life, and the prospect of departing gets real at this age; when one
tends to reflect on how one’s allotted time has been spent – the mistakes made
and the things that turned out well.
Please, let me give you this. Live your life in such a way that when you
get to be 75, and you reflect on how you spent your lifetime – you can say, “I
lived it well. I didn’t squander it.”
Some people try to find
meaning in their careers. I served my country.
When I worked in the private sector, I tried to do it in an ethical way,
and to provide valuable service to others.
I served my country in the military, and I tried to build a better community
through my career in civilian public service.
In all, I can say that did my best.
Yet, my working life, by itself, didn’t fulfill what was needed to make
my life meaningful.
I didn’t start life with
the goal of being a good family man, but (eventually) I did because I needed a
reason to live and work; beyond satisfying my own personal needs. It was one of the best things I have done,
but that alone has not given my life meaning.
I support all education
that will equip people with the skills needed to effectively participate in the
workforce. Thomas Jefferson is reported
to have said that, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival
as a free people.” So long as education
does not become political indoctrination, I support its efforts to inform
students of the things they need to be good citizens and “well rounded” people. Much of what passes for education now hinders
upward mobility and foments social unrest.
It is wonderful to achieve academically, but the philosophies of this
world eventually prove to be hollow when carried to their rational and logical
conclusions.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and
empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world,
and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and
authority. (Colossians 2: 8-10 ESV)
As the Bob Dylan song
says, “You have got to serve somebody.”
By implication, you will either serve God, or you will serve the devil.
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Luke 16:13 ESV)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for
men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your
reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3: 23-24 ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies
of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what
is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:
1-2 ESV)
The world calls
it pride. We stop short of that. However, we may derive a reasonable sense of satisfaction from the things we
have done well. We need to remember that the things that give our lives meaning are the things that please God. We hope that what we do as a service
to Him will result one day in His saying to us:
… ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been
faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your
master.’ (Matthew 25:21 ESV)
NOTE: All the Bible verses quoted were copied from:
https://biblehub.com/
