HAVE BLESSED NEW YEAR 2013

Are you satisfied with your Life?

Year 2012 has been a challenging year to me personally and my family. I started it nursing many body ailments, which include the threat of loosing eyesight, excruciating lower back and abdominal pain etc. Then my mother went to be with the Lord and for the first time I saw myself as an orphan.  The missional work I have been involved in both in Tanzania and here in the US seemed to be grinding to a halt due to my ill health and other challenges.

This is my first time in more than fifty years that I had plenty of time to think, read (when pain was not a hindrance), pray and examine many issues. One of the issues I thought about deeply and at length was how satisfied with life the people I interacted with (in Tanzania most of 2011 and in USA in 2012) were.

I asked the following question to a number of people I interacted with in the last two years: Are you satisfied with your life?

I found out that many people are not satisfied, especially those who seem to be well off, like me:

• There are married people who aren’t satisfied with being married.
• There are single people who aren’t satisfied with being single.
• There are people who are not satisfied with their children
• There are people who are not satisfied with their jobs
• There are people who are not satisfied with their income
• There are people who are not satisfied with their health
• There are people who are not satisfied with their physical appearance.

Even millionaires do not seem very satisfied these days. A number of them have so much security to guard against kidnapping or attack that they become prisoners in their own homes, always afraid, always fearful of some disaster striking them.

What an awful way to live!

Let me ask you a similar question: Are you satisfied with your life?

Whether you are living in a “developed’ or “developing” world, the global nature of the modern world exposes all of us, for example, to following crises:

1.    The crisis of purpose - Physical breakdowns, loss of parents, the surrender of youthful dreams and forced retirements are making Boomers (in U.S a baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic post – World War 11 boom between the years 1946 and 1964). “What else is there?”

2.    The crisis of disillusionment - The ideals of the 1960s in U.S. and Africa (big hopes subsequent to attaining independence) seem to be unrealized as the world goes from crisis to crisis. Many people are asking, “Is changing the world even possible or has cynicism won the day?”

3.    The crisis of priorities - Consumer culture claims you can have it all, but there are too many choices, too much debt and too little time. “Can anyone really have it all?”

4.    The crisis of relationships – “Should anyone say forever?” For those with children, the answer seems to be no. Some people have not spoken with their children for years.

5.    The crisis of loneliness – Modern people value their freedom and autonomy, but they still seek connection, conversation and community. “Where do you find meaningful relationships in a superficial world?”

6.    The crisis of security - Economic uncertainty has led to spiritual anxiety. The goal of a comfortable retirement is becoming more elusive. “What price happiness?”

7.    The crisis education – Many people see education as a passport out of poverty for that reason they seek with all their might- they are not dissatisfied with education opportunities for themselves and or their children.

8.    The crisis of media – In a globalized world, many people is gripped with the fear of the influence of media on their children.

9.    The crisis of spirituality - Organized religion has given way to a nebulous spirituality. Where do you find something rock solid for your life in a world that is falling apart?”

Does the above sound familiar?

Here are quotes from different important people (who identify with Christianity) regarding satisfaction in life:

George Reeves (a star in one of the most popular programs on television programs in USA in the 1950s) said: “fame and fortune don’t ultimately satisfy”.

Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen (Harvard Business School professor) reminds us:  “professional success and personal happiness are two very different things”.

 Malcolm Muggeridge (was an English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist. During World War II, he was a soldier and a spy) said:  “you cannot rationalize your way out of meaninglessness.”

Oprah Winfrey said:  “things” don’t ultimately satisfy.

Tim Tebow (the quarter back of Denver Broncos the winners of 2012 American NFL Super ball championship) said: “you cannot rely on sports victories to bring you contentment.”

Whether you live in a “developed” or “developing” world, the good news is that we can get satisfaction. The gospel (John 6:1-21) shows us the way. A large crowd of people had followed Jesus into the wilderness where he proceeded to teach them about the kingdom of God. Time seemed to stand still when these folks were in the presence of Jesus…so that all of a sudden it was late afternoon, every person in the crowd was hungry and the nearest restaurant was miles away.

In this instance, like it is always when it comes to feeding a large hungry crowd where there is not enough food, feeding the crowd presented a problem. Thanks to the generosity of a boy, the disciples were able to come up with five barley loaves and two fish, by no means enough to satisfy the hunger of such a large crowd. Jesus took the little they gave him, blessed it with his presence, and ordered it distributed to the crowd. The bible says that the people “ate as much as they wanted” and “were satisfied.”

This miracle is not about Jesus becoming a bread king, as John’s Gospel makes clear. For soon after the miracle, the people approach Jesus and say, “Sir, give us this bread always.” And Jesus, knowing full well they had gotten the meaning of the miracle all wrong, says to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Jesus is here saying that he wants to satisfy our deepest need–satisfy us in a way that nothing else in the world can do.

The truth is that spiritual meaning is found in Jesus. There is only one person who can satisfy the deepest desires of your heart and that is Jesus. Whatever the hunger in your heart, Jesus is your ultimate source of satisfaction.

As we begin 2013, let us appropriate what the bible tells us, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8).

We also must remain in JESUS, our Lord and Friend  who promised, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing ……..If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5-8)

As Christians we get satisfaction with life if we remain in Jesus and be faithful to the Mission as His DISCIPLE.

HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

Yours in Christ,

By Rev.Aba Mpesha

Arbor, MI 48108-1539, USA,

Email:abampesha1@gmail.com, December 31, 2012)