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Heaven or Las Vegas?

Two weeks ago, I found myself somewhere I hoped never to be…

Las Vegas. 

Bright lights, noise, an endless stream of people…. in other words my personal hell.

And, somehow, I managed to actually have a nice time.

Bright Light City

I was in Vegas with my family, having traveled there for my sister’s wedding.

She wanted to do things unconventionally, so we loaded onto a plane, traveled west, and watched her and my brother-in-law get hitched by an Elvis impersonator in a shiny suit.

Now, as a Christian, I have deeply held issues with almost everything Vegas stands for.

And as a sensitive, introverted guy, I wasn’t exactly “in my element” either.

Yet, somehow, I managed to actually enjoy myself.

Not because I gambled, visited clubs, or anything like that.

Instead, it was because of my family.

It was through being with them —whether that was grilling burgers at the Airbnb, enduring air travel together, or celebrating my sister and brother-in-law —that their presence helped me enjoy being in a place that would’ve otherwise brought me a lot of stress.

In other words, remembering why I was there helped me see a beauty I would’ve normally been blind to.

Beauty in a Fallen World

The world is a pretty messed up place.

And that can be discouraging.

When that discouragement comes (because it will), I try my best to remember these words from Christ:

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Amid a fallen world, it’s important that we lock in behind the teachings and person of Jesus and the meaning He gives.

Funnily enough, it was the atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who made a point that supports this when he said “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

My Vegas experience was this on a micro-level.

The city itself was suffocating, but the beauty of being with family and celebrating an important moment for my sister made “Sin City” all the more bearable. 

On a macro-level, the same is true about the world we live in.

We’re presented with all kinds of difficulties here; the mark of sin is wide-reaching and oppressive, but when Jesus becomes the primary lens through which we view the world, things change.

Sin and trouble are still present, but they don’t sap us of hope or joy.

Instead, we’re able to endure them because we follow a God who has overcome them.

This then leads to finding beauty, even in the most unlikely of places.

But to have such strength, and to see such beauty, you must have a strong enough “why” to go out there in the first place.

Thankfully, Jesus is more than sufficient to fill that role.

But, honestly, avoid going to Vegas if you can.

For now, be blessed.

Jon

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