I've noted polar opposite (and extreme) differences in the way people live out their lives on earth with respect to time. At one extreme, I call it “Managed Man.” He’s carefully, thoughtfully, planned out and managed his life so as to reach the end in the fullness of health and wealth. Managed Man plans against all possible disastrous occurrences, and plans to avoid them all. Managed Man has little use for God. God is beyond his control. The problem with this life is that everyone dies in the end. God cannot be avoided.
The second group is the one that lives for today, often times he’s the one who thinks he’s going to die young anyway. He’s Hell-On-Wheels, Live-for-Today. He’ll take too many known risks: drinking, drugs, poor eating habits, bad behaviors, etc. For some reason, he’s decided he’s not worthy of God’s respect and love, so why bother trying? Often he assumes he’s “not good enough” for God and “going to hell anyway,” so he might as well enjoy life here. Live-for-Today Man, despite his cocky attitude, is quite afraid to face enquire into what the truth might actually be: God as Father does not treat His sons as hated sons who are worthy only if they perform, but as beloved (and needy) little ones-whom He craves to be loved by.
Most people fall in the middle between these two extremes. Wherever we are now, if we ignore the Big Questions, we'll always be distracted and caught up in the little questions. Big Questions deserve honest and focused exploration. If we instead choose to live in distracted denial, we'll abort a significant growth step.
I submit that it would likely embarrass humanity if we had any idea that the only thing God craved yet lacked a return on the love He has for us.
I Clearing The Ground:
Let's say "Managed Man" and "Live-For-Today" man have both decided to take a step forward and to take stock of what is ahead of him beyond this temporal life. When he does, he will soon realize he cannot do this alone, he'll find that man cannot shut himself up in himself, as if in a little world, and have all he needs at hand to sufficiently explain himself to himself. I suggest each man should first make a personal inventory of his immanent resources.
To do that, he should recognize both his aspirations towards things that are good, a thirst for truth and faithfulness, or certainty, or a sense of fulfillment. If he is makes an honest and concerted effort to do so, will find that he cannot reach these goals or ends on his own. The gap left between the desire and dream and his ability to comprehend it, points out simply that man needs, desperately needs, some kind of transcendent help beyond this little world.
It is at this point he has cleared the ground and has begun a search for meaning.
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