Have you ever wanted something really badly, and then you get it and it is exactly what you want. It is everything you dreamed it could be, but then after a certain point it just was not really all that exciting. Now don't get me wrong. There may have not been a let down, but still it seemed something about it was just not as great and magical as you thought it would be.
There are a few places in this world that I really want to visit: Tokyo, Rome, Cairo, Jerusalem, Athens etc... but based on what I have experienced before when I finally get the things I want, I doubt they will be quite as exciting as the anticipation. It seems to me that this is a part of human nature. That shiny new gadget just becomes another accessory eventually.
Its funny how many times I have "fallen in love" and said to myself "she's perfect," only to eventually realize I really should have gotten to know this and that about her before putting my heart on the line.
I am told that even when I meet "the one" for me there will be this magical chemical phase of falling in love, but this will only last anywhere from 6 months to a few years, and then it will take true compatibility to sustain us.
When I look at Hollywood and the music industry its not difficult to see why so many stars blaze hot at first, and then burn out through controversy, divorce, substance abuse and often an early death. There is a certain high that comes with the feeling of anticipation, and these wealthy celebrities get all the highs. They get to have anything they want... money, homes, affluence, influence, fame, the most attractive and sought after lovers in the world etc... Then eventually these things either wear off and they look to move on to another high, which accounts for the many divorces we see in Hollywood. If you are seeking just a high out of a relationship, if all you are looking for is the thrill of the chase, there is no man and no woman who will satisfy your craving. Many celebrities I believe turn to drugs and alcohol as a sort of high when their careers no longer or never did satisfy them.
There is another sort of anticipatory high that we first experience as small children. It's a magical world of imagination we have where anything is possible. We don't really have reasons to doubt there might be great magic in the world. We tend to carry that with us for awhile. However, as we grow older it changes. Unless our spirits have been broken when we become teenagers and young adults, we dream of great careers, of fairytale romances and changing the world. Then for many people, reality hits, age settles in upon them, and they see a part of their life as being an unfulfilled accomplishment, and they come to the conclusion that life is not as magical as they once believed. They stop chasing dreams.
I think the problem with humanity is a lack of realization that there is nothing on Earth, no matter how great that will fulfill us. Likewise, there is no natural estate that is so terrible that we should give up on life. Life is worth living because there is more to life than life in the biological sense. There is a place of wonder that we are longing for because that place is home.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. He makes a promise to us that in doing so, we will get the other things we want.
However, God should be our greatest desire. An encounter with Him should be our greatest anticipation. There are no letdowns when we seek the Kingdom ahead of our materialism, intellectualism and other desires. There is no high like the Most High!
There are a few places in this world that I really want to visit: Tokyo, Rome, Cairo, Jerusalem, Athens etc... but based on what I have experienced before when I finally get the things I want, I doubt they will be quite as exciting as the anticipation. It seems to me that this is a part of human nature. That shiny new gadget just becomes another accessory eventually.
Its funny how many times I have "fallen in love" and said to myself "she's perfect," only to eventually realize I really should have gotten to know this and that about her before putting my heart on the line.
I am told that even when I meet "the one" for me there will be this magical chemical phase of falling in love, but this will only last anywhere from 6 months to a few years, and then it will take true compatibility to sustain us.
When I look at Hollywood and the music industry its not difficult to see why so many stars blaze hot at first, and then burn out through controversy, divorce, substance abuse and often an early death. There is a certain high that comes with the feeling of anticipation, and these wealthy celebrities get all the highs. They get to have anything they want... money, homes, affluence, influence, fame, the most attractive and sought after lovers in the world etc... Then eventually these things either wear off and they look to move on to another high, which accounts for the many divorces we see in Hollywood. If you are seeking just a high out of a relationship, if all you are looking for is the thrill of the chase, there is no man and no woman who will satisfy your craving. Many celebrities I believe turn to drugs and alcohol as a sort of high when their careers no longer or never did satisfy them.
There is another sort of anticipatory high that we first experience as small children. It's a magical world of imagination we have where anything is possible. We don't really have reasons to doubt there might be great magic in the world. We tend to carry that with us for awhile. However, as we grow older it changes. Unless our spirits have been broken when we become teenagers and young adults, we dream of great careers, of fairytale romances and changing the world. Then for many people, reality hits, age settles in upon them, and they see a part of their life as being an unfulfilled accomplishment, and they come to the conclusion that life is not as magical as they once believed. They stop chasing dreams.
I think the problem with humanity is a lack of realization that there is nothing on Earth, no matter how great that will fulfill us. Likewise, there is no natural estate that is so terrible that we should give up on life. Life is worth living because there is more to life than life in the biological sense. There is a place of wonder that we are longing for because that place is home.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. He makes a promise to us that in doing so, we will get the other things we want.
However, God should be our greatest desire. An encounter with Him should be our greatest anticipation. There are no letdowns when we seek the Kingdom ahead of our materialism, intellectualism and other desires. There is no high like the Most High!
