Answer this...

Several factors, in the recent past, have compelled me to ask myself a simple question, several times. Different situations. Different incidents. Different moods. Different reasons. But in all circumstances - the same question: Are you happy with your life? To some, it may be rhetorical, as we often comfort ourselves with temporary, worldly contentment. So right off that bat we fire-off, “yes!” with a gleeful smile. But today I’d like to ask you to slow down for a minute and actually think about this one. After all, the caption below my blog title is there for a reason. ;-)

The question entails three key words: “you”, “happy”, and “life”.

• In this scenario, you’ll have to use “you” in second-person, as though you’re interviewing yourself. As though you don’t know yourself, right? Don’t be surprised since we actually know less about ourselves than we think (1 John 1:8). Until you start questioning your own motives, actions, and reasoning you may not realize a whole lot of interesting things about yourself (which other’s do).
• Now, “happy” is somewhat of a vague term in our days since it’s employed almost everywhere. You’re happy when you get married. But you’re also happy when you buy a new phone. Did you sense the broad gap between these two scenarios? Therefore, in our circumstance a synonym may be more suitable, such as: pleased, content, or satisfied. Try hard to reflect on what satisfaction is and whether what you find it in truly satisfies your spirit. Check out Ecclesiastes 6:1-7, it’ll give you a good sense of what I’m talking about.
• Finally, “life” – that’s a loaded one. Once again, the term is used ubiquitously. We have a work life, school life, marriage life, etc. – you name it, there’s a life for everything we do. Yet the Good Book nails this one as well: see Luke 12:22-24. So to answer our question of the day, we’ll need to be sure we’re not talking about our physical being but our spiritual. 

Put all of these together and you have a pretty deep and serious question to ask yourself. Once you answer it, think about what factors impact your outcome. It may be a tough time at work or school causing you to take it as a waste of time. It may also be related to family and/or church activities (or lack thereof). Either way, if your outcome is negative, it’s important to find the root of what’s keeping you down – and sometimes, the root needs to be pulled out. No, I am not implying that you go dropping everyday activities left and right because you find a level of disappointment in them. The key is to shake things up a bit in pursuit of true happiness and satisfaction. Here's a small hint: Matthew 11:28-30. :-) Yes, there’s a lot of analysis and digging involved but if you want to fix something, you need to take action, right?

It is more honorable to repair a wrong than to persist in it.
Thomas Jefferson

So, are you happy with your life?

"Follow me"

For those of us living in areas of moderate peace, it’s difficult to envision a life other than our own. This especially relates to the younger generation which has barely (if ever) endured the wrath of dictators, the violence of war, the austerity of poverty, the bloodshed of terrorism, or the malice of martyrdom. Sure, we all agree that everyone on this planet has their own place in society. Directly and indirectly we may even cite Spencer’s economic “survival of the fittest” concept in an attempt to explain (or excuse) society. But this behavior all-the-more demonstrates our level of selfishness and egotism without which, it seems, the human species can’t survive a day. It’s an unfortunate way of life as it is seen on many levels – not just amongst gangs, mafias, and governments but also within the church. It surely distracts us from the life Christ wanted us to live.

Aside from the rest of the Bible of course, the “sermon on the ‘mount”, recorded in Matthew 5-7, provides us with a glorious representation of behavior which Christ would like to see in us. Most of us are very much aware of the content of those three chapters, yet often we act as though none of it pertains to us. Today, there is much confusion about what’s right and what’s wrong. Talking to some Slavic individuals at the NY evangelism this past weekend, I noticed a trend that they believe there is a God – no one denied His existence. Most of these people pointed out that every religion and denomination claims they know the truth, causing them to question the basis of each one. Seeing it would be difficult to convince any of these individuals that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), I was heartbroken. But hearing from them that we were “not like the others” (in a good way), made-up for some of that grief as I realized that it’s not about convincing and proving anything – it’s about our way of life. Christ’s sermon on the ‘mount is the perfect guide to accomplishing a Christ-centered manner of living which is not focused on me, myself, and I – but rather focused on my brother, sister, and neighbor. Christian’s carry the responsibility of living this way so as to lessen the confusion so many people experience about the purpose of life. When they see Christ in us, what confusion or misunderstanding could there possibly be?

In John 21, we recall Christ asking Peter three times whether he loved Him. After the third time, Christ foretold how Peter’s life would end. I’m sure that these were strange words to Peter but John continues to explain the meaning of what Christ said, “This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me” (verse 19). One thing which captivates me in this is the phrase, “by what death he should glorify God”. Have you ever truly considered that your death would glorify God? I doubt many of us have as this goes back to the beginning of this entry. In our moderately peaceful lives, we rarely even consider death’s reality. We don’t want to believe that our life may end at any second. Hence, we continue living the way we live and doing the things we do. But what leads up to a death glorifying God is the life which precedes it. After foretelling Peter’s death, Christ tells Him, “Follow me”. This is essentially what brings Peter to crucifixion; a life lived for Christ. The price paid on Earth with our flesh is nothing when compared to the magnificence of eternity with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Will you follow Him?