On the Definition of Human Existance

So i was flipping through my bible yesterday, and my eyes landed on a particular passage.
I read it.
I laughed outloud.
This was most likely because we're in virginia visiting virginia tech, and i only brought my pocket bible, which is NLT.
I don't read NLT a whole lot, because the language feels too fudged to me.
But in this case it's wonderful.

I've talked about Jeremiah before; his book is starting to become one of my favorites.
I've also talked about idols before.
Try to forget that. If you haven't read that one, do yourself a favor and don't read it.
It was on February 27th, if you're still interested.

Anywho, Jeremiah 51:17-19.
The little heading over the section in my bible reads, "A Hymn of praise to the Lord".
so i'm not really sure who's talking. But it doesn't really matter.
"The whole Human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
These idols have no breath or power.
Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
But the God of Israel is no idol!
He is the Creator of everything that exists, including his people, his own special possession.
The Lord of Heaven's Armies is his name!" [NLT]

So that made me laugh, because its absolutely true.

How many people do you know who are discouraged?
I know plenty of people; my teachers, my friends, my extended family... they are discouraged because life isn't what they know it should be.
My favorite science teacher comes across to many as depressed, even though he isn't.
He talks all the time about how worthless life can be, and how little of an impact is being made on things that need to be impacted.
He has spent his life whiling away teaching and managing an organic farm.
He is disgraced by the idols he has made.

I know tons of kids [spaulding people should be able to say all their friends and their friend's families for this one.] who are in a similar position.
You go to school. You maybe have a job. You do homework. You inexplicably fail classes. (it's because you're stupid.)
Worst of all, you're stuck there by federal law.
You toil away 4 years of your life, just to be pitched out into the real world to fend for yourself.
Why bother?
You make "idols".
Relationships. Friends. Jobs. Famous people. Hobbies. Money. Random useless trivia.
You realize that they're pointless.
You're disgraced.

Why?
it's right there in Jeremiah.
You know it's all a fraud.
There's something more.

oh, wait. all you have to do is read the next verse over.
The God of Israel is no idol!

hecks yeah!

Keep going, and you find out that his people (the Jews. But as p.Dave says, you can mentally replace "israel" and related words in the old testament with "church" and such. so we can take it to mean christians, yes?) are his own special possession!
sweet.
we're special to God.
and we don't need idols.

That's essentially the life of the nonchristian-searching-for-existance and the christian-who-knows-his-existance in a nutshell.
Thanks Jerry. You da man.