If you could orchestrate all matters of the universe, what kind of life would you live?
For me, this would be a world full of partly cloudy, 80° days. I would spend my time stitching in contemplative peace by an open window beyond which a pleasant breeze would rustle leaf-laden branches and children would happily play.
There would be no electronics, no social media, and no screens radiating blue light. I would write thoughtful letters to friends and family, wake up with the sun each morning, and go to bed each night with my windows open, a cup of tea, and a good book.
While some of those ideals are unrealistic, I could attain many of them if I sought to do so, but there is a significant reason why I don’t.
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
-Matthew 22:37-39
Our primary responsibility, after abiding in Christ, is to go and make disciples. While I very well would move into a peaceful grotto in the mountains, there are messages I feel led to share, and that mission—ultimately to advance God’s kingdom—would not occur if I cut myself off from society or its tools.
Besides, we as believers aren’t called to live comfortably. This life is a war, this life is supposed to be a battle against flesh and blood in the effort to win souls to Christ and edify our brothers and sisters in the faith.
You weren’t given another day because you need it but because someone else needs you. You will spend eternity with the fellow believers in your community, so how are you pursuing those you may only have the chance to interact with here on earth?