Vivid Life

The scent of your loved one, as you nuzzle their neck.

Warm, Gardenia-scented, tradewinds flowing off the Pacific on a pristine Maui beach.

The sizzle of a juicy steak.

The deep satisfaction of being loved by another.

The beauty, or handsomeness, that draws us to another.

The fiery red hues of hazy mountains at sunset.

The graceful lines of a vintage Ferrari.

The soft, tender skin of a newborn baby.

The spicy, citrusy freshness of a Mojito on a warm, summer evening.

The comfort and warmth of a gathering of friends.

I could go on.  There are many things that are very vivid to us in life.  Things we are drawn toward.  Things that develop deep love or appreciation in us.  People. Events.  Relationships.  Places.  Smells.  Tastes.  They are all so real.  But they distract us, from the True Originator of the Vivid Life.  And all the while, they point us to the Greater Life to come.

This has been hard for me to understand.  Why would God create so many beautiful things for us to enjoy, yet want our total fulfillment to come from Him?  How much fulfillment should come from the things of this present life, when He wants our total devotion?  I am struggling through this. 

I recently lost a love.  She was exceedingly beautiful and full of life.  Did I fall too deeply in love with her?  Did she become my idol?  Why did God create in me the capacity to love her so much, while He wanted at least that capacity directed toward Him?  God is supposed to be the Ultimate Reality, yet I don’t know that I have ever experienced Him as totally real — more real than the most beautiful and enticing things I could imagine. 

My desire is that I would.  I want it all in proper perspective.  God, fill me up with your reality, beauty and life.  And then let me experience it here on earth as you would desire it, but only after you have infused me with the fulfillment that only You can.