We spend much time at barbers and hairdressers trying to get our hair just right. Women shave their underarms, arch their eyebrows and even wear false eyelashes to look appealing. Men shave and or shape their mustache and beard. We get our nails manicured and our feet pedicured. We spend much time at the gym, or we get involved with an exercise plan with the hope that eventually we will look good and feel great.

We eat certain foods that can help us look and feel great, for example we decide to avoid the sugar, candy, fried foods, fat, salt, starchy food (like white rice), dairy products and meat or whatever may mess up that great look. We buy clothes that we think will complement us. Some of us have even had plastic surgery (like the tummy tuck) to look the right way. When we are meeting someone for the first time, as in an interview for a job, we want to look our best, so we dress to impress. In essence, we spend a considerable amount of our time focusing on how we look physically.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing what is required to look good. Some people focus on good habits for health reasons also, and I applaud them. However, when we spend too much time trying to look good, or when we are too preoccupied with acquiring things in this life we have a problem. Too much emphasis is sometimes placed on the things that life has to offer than on life itself. When our focus is in getting that great car, house, job, jewelry, clothes, appliance, technical gadget etc. we cease to enjoy the most important things in life.

You see, when we look at each other, we see only what or eyes permit us to see, that is or bodies, the temporal part of us. Our bodies are temporal, which means that from the day we are born, our bodies begin to age or deteriorate. Disease and careless living accelerates the process. Some of us try to retard the process of aging by maintaining good eating habits, exercising regularly, not smoking or drinking alcohol, avoiding drugs and thinking positively. When we die our bodies begin the process of decomposition. to slow down the process by maintaining positive habits such as, exercising regularly, eating right, not smoking or drinking, It is commendable to do these things, but eventually the very bodies that we try so hard to preserve and beautify will cease to operate, then what next?

When we die, our body is what really dies. This explains why at funerals we still see the bodies of those who are dead, but the bodies cannot move by themselves. The real person leaves the body before it starts to rot. The spirit does not die. Therefore, really what matters is our spirit, that is the part of us that we can neither see nor touch physically.

The point I am trying to make is that the best things, (and the most important things) in this life are not temporal and are not tangible, they are eternal, they will exist forever. God, the Creator of our bodies, is most important in this life, and He will never die. He decides when we will be born, who will be our parents, how long each of us will be here on this earth, what family we will belong to, what sex we will be, what color our eyes, hair or skin will be etc. He created the spirits which are in our bodies.

If our bodies are here on earth for a limited amount of time, but our spirits will never die, why don't we spend more time on our spirits? Why do we tend to avoid any subject dealing with the spirit, but we indulge in any conversation that promotes the body?

How can we change things around so that more emphasis is placed on the spirit? I am so glad you asked. You see, before we can understand things pertaining to our spirits, we must first know about the Maker of our spirits, who is God. He has given men authority to write a book, known as the Holy Bible. This Book tells us what we need to know about Him and ourselves, as well as the relationship we need to have with Him. Even though most of us know of the existence of the Bible, we do not take the time to read it as we should. Some of us do not even believe the information in the Bible. Actually, no one can understand or even believe the information in the Bible unless God opens their understanding.

Why is this information important?

This information is important because each person (including whoever is reading this article) has a responsibility to find out more about Him, and to do what He requires us to do, in order to have a meaningful life. The Bible states the values and the standards we are to live by, so that we will be influenced to make the right choices.

The only way to truly enjoy life, is to get to know more about the One who created us. The more we know about Him, then the more He will reveal His plan for our lives. We will never have meaningful lives until we know and understand this truth. You see, when I did not know much about Him, my life was meaningless and empty. I lived only to please myself. I was all that mattered to me, but when I met Him one day, everything changed in my life. I suddenly got peace that I could never understand or explain. I was now joyful, so the circumstances in my life did not have that much control of me anymore. I began to love and care for people the way I should. Now that I look back on my past, I wonder how did I ever exist back then. How dull was my life. Don't misunderstand me...at that time I thought I had it going on, but then I was ignorant. Now..I know that I really have it going on.

Now what matters to me most is God and other people. The more I please God and others, the better I feel. Do people always appreciate the things I do for them....absolutely not...and sometimes that hurts, but it's far better to do what's right than what's wrong. I have tried both and the positive always wins over the negative things of life. In fact, I firmly believe the reason some people commit suicide, murder, robberies and other crimes is because they have not met their Creator. There is a void that has yet to be full. Some try to fill that void with smoking, drinking, drug use and the list goes on, but that's a temporary high. I am on a permanent high, an addiction, that has no side effects an remains high, a relationship with my Creator who is also the Creator of the whole universe.

If we spent as much time on our spirits as we do on our bodies I think the world would be a different place. If we were more preoccupied with seeking our Maker, and tried to find out why He created us. We would look at life differently. Our values in life would change, and we would think less about trying to impress others and more about being who we really are.

Even though I cannot see God and I cannot touch Him, I know, without a shadow of doubt, that He is real. He is as real as the breath that I take, and the thoughts that I have. I can neither see my thoughts nor my breath, but they exist. My heart beats in my chest. I know that for sure, but I cannot see it beating, I cannot touch my heart, but it exists, a doctor can prove it to me and I have to accept his proof.

We therefore need to see life in the right perspective. God exists. He created us and He loves us. Instead of spending an excessive amount of time looking good and trying to feel good we need to use more time taking to know God and His purpose for us. We can do that by talking to Him, asking Him to teach us more about Him, and reading the Holy Bible. It is also a good idea to meet with people who believe in Him, and to learn more about Him. This is the reason one day is set aside in the week for us to go to meet with like-minded people and to do what is required of us.

Finally, God is good. He does not expect us to follow a long list of rules. Instead He is interested in having a relationship with us, and that's why He created us. Let's begin to acknowledge that He exists and appreciate the other beings that He has created.

The Greatest Things in Life

In summary, the greatest things in life are eternal and are not tangible.  First, God, our Creator is the greatest, and some of the greatest things He created are our spirits which are housed in our temporal and tangible bodies.  We may not see them, but they are there.  We see signs that they exist when we see acts of kindness by individuals.   We can know they are there when we see others worship God. The people we see and love, will die one day, but the most important part of them, their spirits, will exist forever.  Let's stop taking God and each other for granted.  Let's decide to spend less time on ourselves, and more time learning about God and each other.  Remember, God is here, and never forget that He is most important to us.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20