I've Been Thinking About This…

New Year’s Day is a time to consider changes in one’s life – resolutions, that sort of thing. Change is necessary from time to time, so with the start of the new year, here’s a thought on change:

Sometimes we need permission to reach for a better life. We can see it in front of us, but there might be a risk. If it’s a financial or a health risk, the tradeoffs are usually clear, or at least calculable. But for bigger risks, such as a complete life change, the tradeoffs are frequently harder to compute. To switch from being an employee to an entrepreneur; from a lawyer to a missionary, or from a doctor to a minister – these are big changes that could drain off life savings and leave the family destitute. But on the other hand, if you’re truly miserable in your current career, that’s not a good life to be in, and perhaps you’re driven to make the change.

The strange thing about Christians is that we are willing to live such a strangled existence. Is it because we’re change-averse? Or do we tell ourselves that we might not exactly like what we’ve got, but at least we’ve got something – which we might not have if we make a change? Or is it because we know how to do what we do today, but we don’t know if we will be able to do all of what we would need to do if we change? Or is it that we’ve got seniority with the current job, but we’d have to start all over again in another one? Or is it just the money? Probably bits of all of the above.

Seems to me that the question for us as Christians is, “Do you believe in God? And do you believe He wants us to live the best life possible?” If no, then what is it that makes you say you’re a Christian? But if yes, then there are adventures and risks ahead – they come with changes and Life.

For all of our lives, most churches have left most of us with this impression:

“Christ is wonderful, but we’ve got a life to live here.”

But that’s not what the Bible says. It says,

“Christ is wonderful and we’ve got a Life to live, here!”

What a difference a conjunction makes!

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