One thing that I struggle with is getting caught up with what's in front of me. I love reading blogs, finding inspiration on Pinterest and stalking people on Instagram but all of the beautiful imagery can sometimes get to my head. Before I know it, a growing discontent arises in me causing me to want more. A well-furnished house. Nicer hair. A bigger closet. Not everything is materialistic, however. Some are well-intentioned desires: Be a better wife/mother. Have a more natural lifestyle. Develop a more-structured routine. I find the same goals weaved into the words of many bloggers I follow. There's this common theme to navigate through this crazy life with the goal of bettering One's self and One's family. If that is all there is to this life, then I feel I would be left extremely depressed knowing that life never really does reach a point of perfect balance. My home will forever be lacking something that could make it better. I will always be critical of my self-image, even if on the smallest level. A perfectly scheduled routine will always be ruined by outward circumstances. Even if I somehow managed to attain a life relatively close to perfection, none of it would matter the moment I take my last breath on this earth and face eternity. It doesn't matter if I'm Bill Gates or the homeless person at the shelter, what I came into this earth with I leave with. That may be a morbid thought, but it's a reality that we all will have to face. King Solomon, a man who had everything, understood this when he penned Ecclesiastes and spoke about how all is vanity and a striving after the wind. James reminds us that our life is but a vapor that appears for a little while and then is gone. Jesus asked, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?" It is by keeping these truths in mind that I can move past earthly accomplishments and chase after something more. We were not created with the ability to find satisfaction in people, things or places -- which is why those very things will only fill you up to a certain point, temporarily. A great quote I found says, "To go through life achieving everything only to die separated from God for eternity would be worse than futile!"We were created with the intention of bringing God glory -- and that happens when we restore the fellowship that was broken with him through our sin. We were all born into sin. ". . .none is righteous, no not one..." Romans 3:10-12; "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. The just penalty for sin is death.  And death equals an eternity of separation from God. Aka hell. "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23. But Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross and taking on the punishment for us. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son in the world to  condemn the world but in order that the world may be saved through Him." John 3:16-17. We have the opportunity to freely accept this gift. The only requirement is that we acknowledge our sinful nature, confess our sins to God, recognize our need for a Savior -- Jesus Christ -- and commit our lives to following His commands. There's no crazy rituals that need to be performed...no magic prayer...it's just simply choosing to live for Christ and stop relying on self to get through life. I made this decision several years ago and though I often slip up, I'm comforted in knowing that I have life after death. This doesn't mean I stop striving to be a better mom or I can't want better hair (lol), but it does mean that my main focus is to make my short life count eternally. You have a choice to make: live for the present or live for the eternal...because there is definitely more to life than this. Feel free to message me or comment if you have any questions...