Today I read the statement, “Life without God is like trying to dribble with a football.” Have you ever tried to dribble a football? Most of us would only get a bounce or two in before the ball would bounce off in a different direction. Dribbling with a football is strange and awkward. It’s simply not made for dribbling. A basketball, on the other hand, is the perfect ball for dribbling. It’s round and even. It bounces back up into your hand. It’s relatively easy and effortless to dribble with. This is what it’s made for.
Everyday people go through their lives without God. The problem is, these same people are fruitlessly searching for the meaning of life. They turn to money, possessions, drugs, and sex before soon finding out it wasn’t the answer. Can life be lived without following God? Yes. But that life will be empty, awkward, meaningless, and will result in eternal consequences (Matthew 7:21-23).
Solomon also experimented with all the pleasures life had to offer. He had houses, vineyards, gardens, and other property. He had flocks and herds. He had many wives, concubines, and servants. Not to mention, he had an absurd amount of gold, silver, and other precious materials. He was extremely wealthy and prosperous. But what was his response to all this? “It’s all vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3). It’s all pointless.
Everything we have is a moment closer to being destroyed by fire in the end (2 Peter 3:7, 10). We can’t take any of it with us. All that matters is our relationship with the Lord. Life without the Lord is burdensome, hard, and awkward. It takes terrible bounces without warning and leaves us feeling empty and exhausted. Life without God is like trying to hammer in a screw. It’s like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It’s like trying to dribble with a football. On the other hand, life with the Lord feels light and guilt free, it feels natural, and well, it just feels good! God made us to serve Him. This is what we were made for!
No one in their right mind wants to participate in pointless activities. So why continue this life without the Lord? There is nothing more awkward and unnatural than life without God. Let’s quit battling in ourselves and resisting Him. Because in the end, there is no better use of our time and effort, there is nothing more natural, and there is nothing more valuable than following the Lord (Matthew 16:24-26).
Brett Petrillo