What Is Our Life?

What is our life? A play of passion.
And what our mirth but music of division?
Our mother's wombs the tiring houses be
Where we are dressed for this short comedy.
Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is
Who sits and marks what here we do amiss.
The graves that hide us from the searching sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus, playing, post we to our latest rest,
And then we die, in earnest, not in jest.

~Sir Walter Raleigh

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

~From Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

Life is short. Use it well.

Legalism or Holiness?

It seems I hear more and more of Christian young people who say they have become disenchanted with fundamentalism or Christianity in general because of legalism. While I believe in many cases Christians are more pharisaical than not, I believe this is often an excuse for pleasing themselves without feeling guilty. By placing the guilt on older Christians, these young Christians feel justified in listening to music, or watching movies, or dressing in a way that pleases them and not necessarily God.
I guess it all comes down to a relationship. How well I know my God motivates why I do what I do. It doesn't matter if I have seen countless Christians who only dress the way they do or listen to the music they listen to because it makes them seem like a "good person." It doesn't matter how many fundamentalist churches I have seen that are filled with legalism. It doesn't matter how many "legalist" rules I grew up with. What matters is my relationship with God. What I know and believe about Him should motivate what standards I set for my life.
Though other Christians may set their music standards on what looks good to other people, I will set my music standards on what pleases God. I will dress in a way that pleases God. I will follow the "legalist" rules of my parents or Christian college because obeying God by obeying my authorities matters more to me than how stupid the rule seems.
I have no doubt that at some point in my life, someone will accuse me of being legalistic. But it won't matter. I will be holy because my God is holy.