HopeFul Reflections

A Problem

I have nothing to my name and struggle to make ends meet for my family. I live an opulent life and have everything I could ever need before half my life has even passed. I struggle to connect to people. I have trouble keeping up with all the people I know. My field is highly intellectual and I have an abundance of free time. I work manual labor and work weekends to support my business. I live an entirely different lifestyle than they could even imagine in the Bible.

A Perspective

People ponder how the life of someone who lived 2000 years before them could apply to their life. It’s completely understandable to feel that the issues we face, especially coming from so many walks of life, could benefit from the life of one man. Yes, the details of daily life 2000 years ago are entirely different than how they are now. However, we still look to the proverbs and teachings of people like Confucius and Aristotle. The reason we can do so is that the lessons they taught us are generalizable. The details can vary in infinite ways, but the issue of quarreling with your neighbor has existed forever. The feelings of jealousy, envy, pride, anger, and many others are extremely human and something we all share. In studying the life of Jesus we can see how he, in his perfection, handled such issues.

What if?

I sincerely believe if every person in the world lived like Christ we could reduce issues to only the essential ones caused by causality. The ones set to happen because of events set in motion ages ago like natural disasters or randomness like unfortunate illnesses. The kindness of Christ would prevent wars, his humility would prevent arguments due to our pride, his wisdom would prevent lack of preparedness in the face of disaster, and his strength would allow us to overcome whatever remains. There would still be hardships in life, but we would carry them with grace. You would still be an accountant, lawyer, policeman, plumber, or doctor but how you handled moral issues would be guided by a man who we believe to be the human incarnation of God Himself. If the all-powerful, wise, and loving Creator of our world would choose to live as Jesus did, why can’t I? It would be the height of pride to believe I could live better than he could. Does this mean I give up my individuality? No. I am still me, but when faced with that quarrel with my neighbor I choose peace. Maybe I choose to defuse with humor as I often do because that is my style, or maybe I decide to use skillful conversation because that is what I know. The answer is peace, but the work to get there may be guided by our own talents.

Another Reason

I’m sure I am not alone in having those moments when I feel like I am not enough. When I don’t get the promotion, the score, or the reward that I want and feel I deserve. I know I’ve worked, I’ve prayed, and I did everything I was told I was supposed to do. Reliance on these external factors is my weakness. I’ve framed the issue incorrectly. It is pride that tells me that because I worked for something I deserve it. When I act like a good man, my reward should be the action itself, living itself. It is a privilege to live well. Living with abundance is only a coincidence. If I judge the quality of my life by the effort I put in, the choices I make, and the way that I choose to face the world, I know have control of everything. There is no reason to stress about the result, if my measure was the effort. There is no reason to worry about the reward when affirming my identity is what I want. In knowing that I live as God intended, I understand I’ve done well. It doesn’t matter if I am not the ruler of a country, the CEO of a company, or a famous athlete. I’ve lived well and if that’s what my Creator asks of me I’ll do it. I am capable of doing it because that is in my control no matter my situation or station in life. I am able to reduce the anxiety in my life in reframing my measures of how I live well to those of internal control.

What do I do?

The Gospel tells us of the Life of Jesus, and his parables, and we read later on from others who strived to live as he did, and reading it is a fine place to start. If you prefer listening then Father Mike Schmitz of Ascension Presents has a podcast called “The Bible in a Year” which I enjoy. It is unreasonable to expect a complete change in personality in a day, but each and every day we can walk ever closer to God and live as he intended. It doesn’t matter if we stumble 1000 times because his love is greater than our sins. He can make us greater and knowing him we may find peace. The idea of always being happy is an ever-moving goal post. The idea of satisfaction is knowing my kids are safe, knowing my job is secure, and knowing that my God is with me and strengthens me.

As Jesus lived among us, he made sure to spread the message of the Kingdom and tell the people of His Father in Heaven. He had the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, multiply the few, and lead men. However, he felt that speaking about his father was far more important. Next time I want to talk about why I believe that mission was so important.

“But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also because that is why I was sent.”

-Luke 4:43

Thanks for reading, y’all. I’ll be praying for you!
-James