THE GOOD LIFE…4/2/08
by SteveOne of the most important things I have ever learned (courtesty of Jack Spong) is that God is the source of life. It is God who made us and breathed into us and every other living thing the breath of life. It is God who pronounced that life is good, and life is a gift from God, and so I honor God when I live fully, deeply, richly, plunging into it with joy and purpose.
The sad thing is that when I look around me for Christians who live like that, I have to look long and hard to find one. Most of us have this sadly mistaken idea that to be a Christian is to be associated with the things that we DON’T do, that our faith is one made up of rules and regulations: what to eat, what not to eat; what to drink, what not to drink; what to wear, what not to wear; what you have to believe, what you shouldn’t believe. Being careful to associate only with “good” people, giving sinners a wide berth. Don’t play cards, don’t play ball on Sunday afternoons, don’t tell jokes, try to look as somber and righteous as you can. Smile only when absolutely necessary. And for heaven’s sake, don’t dance! What kind of life is that? And who would be attracted to it? That’s not the portrait Jesus painted of life in the Spirit!
Jesus said to his followers, “I’ve come that your JOY might be complete!” He said in John’s gospel, “I am come that they may have life, and have it abundantly!” That’s not an invitation to a funeral; it’s an invitation to a party, a celebration, where people laugh, love, sing, dance, enjoy and live life to the fullest. God created life and pronounced it good. It was good then, and God expects it to be good now. And when we make life the celebration God intends it to be, God is honored…and life IS good!
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Thanks for that reminder. This comes at a time in my life when I have been confronted with this very truth. I would add that when we are not joyful in our circumstances, we sin against the One we seek to serve. Too often, Christians associate joy with happiness. I think there is a huge difference. We can have joy even in our sorrow for we know that regardless of our earthly circumstances, our Lord never changes, His love for us never changes, his plan for us never changes. When we have hope in Him, that will produce joy in our hearts.
zk, you’ve hit on the correct word – hope. So long as we have hope, we’ll be alright, and as long as we can sense God in our lives, we’ll always have hope! It’s only when we lose sight of God, that we lose hope. I think we’ve all been there, that point in life where everything seems empty, pointless, utterly hopeless. The place where we can’t see our friend’s concerned looks, or hear their words of comfort, through the darkness of despair we’ve wrapped ourselves in. We abandon love – the love of family, friends, and self – and abandon God. No matter how brightly God’s love shines around us, we do not see it. It’s only when we glimpse it in the distance, and use it as a beacon to guide us back to love, that we regain hope. For, as Virgil put it, “Omnia vincit Amor” – Love conquers all. How much more fully could we live, than to know God’s love, and share it with our fellow man?
Bj