1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
As we watched our 7-month old grandson reach for his plastic toy, we could see he was making a herculean effort. Not yet able to crawl, he would push up onto his knees and rock back and forth, all the while reaching to grab the elusive yellow circle. It’s as if he knew he was made to get it, even though it was presently beyond his tiny grasp. Little Quinn senses what every member of the human race instinctively feels….
We are made for more.
We are made for more in this life. For more than just serving ourselves. In fact, Jesus said if we want to find life, we have to first lose it for his sake (Matt 10:39). But as you probably already know, dying to our own agenda can be pretty painful. Our human nature clings to what we can control, stifling the inward push to hope, and to believe for something beyond what we can see, hear and touch. So we live with a sense of restlessness, unable to connect the dots.
But Paul says if our hope extends only to this life, we should be pitied. We are made for more beyond this life. We have a spot reserved for us in the bigger picture. Everything we experience in this life—the struggles and defeats as well as the accomplishments and triumphs—prepare us for more than we can think or imagine (Eph. 3:20). We are made for eternity.
Jesus died for our sins and rose from death so we could enter into the eternal “more.” We don’t have to stay in the dredges of not measuring up. Even if we’re just inching along, God’s grace will help us get there. He’s the one who made us for more in the first place.
Our little grandson will soon be crawling. He’ll be able to reach that little toy, and beyond. After that, he’ll progress to walking, running, riding bicycles, driving cars, maybe sky diving out of airplanes, or skiing down mountain slopes. He can’t comprehend it now, and neither can we grasp all God has in store for us.
Dear friend, don’t give up. Keep pressing ahead. Let God’s grace assure you each step of the way that you are made for more.