Enjoy the Interval

Someone once said, “There is no cure for birth or death except to enjoy the interval in between. Sometime in the early A.D. 60’s, a man who could have moaned and groaned about how bad his life was, chose instead to concentrate on how great it was to be a Christian, even though he was incarcerated. From a prison cell, Paul wrote immortal words that have aided millions in choosing to enjoy the interval between birth and death no matter how bad life seemed at the moment. With great faith and a godly attitude, Paul transformed his prison of pain into a palace of praise and wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” What he enjoyed in Christ was as real in prison as it was out. Nothing this side of heaven or hell could take away what he enjoyed in the Lord unless he gave it away. Painful as Paul’s life was, he never doubted that he was more blessed than he was distressed.

Can we be more like that? How can we avoid the negative attitude of poor pitiful me? How can we avoid the mistake of letting life become a prison of unhappiness and malcontent and distress of our own making. We must always remember that we have a loving God that cares for us and loves us more than we will ever know. He knows our wants and our needs. As Christians we enjoy the greatest life that can be offered. Life on earth has a beginning and it has an end. God wants us to enjoy the interval in between. So go ahead, “Rejoice in the Lord always!”