HOW DO I LIVE LIFE?
[6-minute read]
How do I live life? You may think that this question is reserved for people who struggle to see that tomorrow will be a better day, but it is really a question for all believers. Whether we are cruising along safe shores or hurled into the stormy seas, we can be just as distracted by life itself and forget how to truly live.
The same question yielded a plethora of life hacks from search engines - “27 habits to enjoy life more”, “10 ways to make life better”, “39 ways to live and not just exist”. And then there are suggestions like unplugging from the constant distraction of our devices and the social media.
While these practical instructions can improve people’s state of mind and teach them to be kinder to themselves, they merely promote self-determination and the idea that life is as good as what we make it out to be. As a result, they can draw us away from the Giver of Life and impede our living in the fullness that God promised all believers in John 10:10 NLT.
At the same time, the apostle Paul also showed us, through his own eventful life, that going after a perpetually routinized, hazard-free and problem-free life is not a biblical life goal. Instead, it would only lead to an unrewarding and uninspiring life.
How then do we live our lives? We can take 3 simple lessons from the apostle Paul below:
DO I LIVE AS A VICTIM OR A VICTOR?
On the surface, this can appear as a cliché that makes light of our lived realities yet it hides a truism born out of Christian testimonies. As such, it serves as a reminder that God is always with us in our battles and He is always fighting for us.
Let’s be honest: life can set us up to feel like we are the enemy’s objects for target practice, especially when we have little time to recover from one setback before another one hits us. Making matters worse is how often physical, emotional and mental suffering has a way of making us feel not only ashamed of our faith, but also ashamed that God could read our raw thoughts, or that we are indulging in another ‘pity party’. These are thoughts that alienate us from God and others.
Paul, on the other hand, demonstrated a counter-intuitive response towards his own suffering by mustering up the courage to defeat shame. “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21). Let’s not overlook the irony that he often wrote such compelling teachings from prisons, and not from places of prestige.
If anyone thinks that positive thinking can create such thinking, think again! Paul was able to find hope in his sufferings because he saw suffering as the seedbed for producing perseverance, character and hope (Romans 5:3-5 NLT). If you only have hope in a good place, that is no hope at all. Rather, Paul found extraordinary courage to hope against all unfavourable evidence only because of God’s power working in his life. After all, he experienced so many miracles that make our lives look pallid and uninspiring by comparison.
It is important to know that before we become the target of anyone’s meanness, discrimination, or mistreatment, God made His Son, Jesus Christ, the target to take our suffering and shame (Isaiah 53:4). Even when it seems as though our adversary is getting away with murder, Paul knew only too well. After all, he left us with this message, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?... No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (Romans 8:35 NLT).
Never forget that God has the ultimate victory for us and He has not deserted us – no matter how it looks or feels.
DO I LIVE OUT OF DISAPPOINTMENT OR APPOINTMENT?
Unsupported by others, constant blows of disappointment can cause resentment and maliciousness to creep up on us as a way to cope with what we cannot control. But if we believe that our being alive in itself cannot happen outside the will of God, then it changes everything. We will no longer see ourselves as someone’s pin cushion or punching bag because we know that God will not allow us to be the object of frequent criticism or hurtful treatment without His intervention. The antidote that sets us free from crushing disappointments is in embracing the God-given appointment for our individual lives.
What does this mean? The Bible showed us that Paul, who was previously driven by nefarious motives against Christians (Acts 26:9), perceived his life differently after his encounter with God. His bio began to read like this: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:1). He was unreservedly assured about his conversion and calling, “I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. (2 Timothy 1:11-12a). He spoke about his appointment and suffering all in the same breath! But they are both true.
Is your spiritual bio updated or outdated? What is God’s specific appointment for you in your situation? Make it your declaration every morning, and see how it will repurpose your life each day!
DO I LIVE ON INFORMATION OR REVELATION?
Christian teachings can often be mistaken for positive thinking for the simple reason that we act according to how we think and feel. The difference between Christian teachings and positive thinking is who informs our thinking.
The apostle Paul made this crystal clear, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12).
Is it an anomaly for a person who is battling an aggressive cancer to text from the hospital bed, “although the reports are not favourable, I would like to encourage all not to be disheartened, shattered or disillusioned…but I don’t remain in that path. Focus on the Lord and walk on the water with Him. What we focus on will always loom larger. I inquired of the Lord: What do I do now? The reply: just be faithful.”
You may not be battling cancer and you should not minimize your own struggles by comparing your ‘degree’ of suffering with others. We are appointed to speak to different people for different purposes and God’s grace works in our lives in different ways. In the same way that Paul knew who God had called him to speak to (Acts 26:19-20), know that God is crafting His love story through the different trials that you face.
Your life still is and always will be a unique story of God’s love. Reconsider how you will live your life today. It is time to have a different conversation with yourself and with others!
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 28 January 2023.
