When we are very young, it seems that the world is before us with endless opportunities and possibilities. We can be anything we want. In theory at least. Though it must be acknowledged that so often in practice this is not the case. We are not to be constrained by gender, race, age or belief. All we must do is dream, strive, and it will be attained. I wonder if this is a gift for the young, for it is what drives them out and forward. And this is both necessary and essential.
As we move beyond this and grow at least a little older (and I am claiming no great age here, as I am fully aware that many of my readers are older than I). It becomes evident that we cannot do everything. We cannot fulfil every dream and follow every whim, for our choices are not endless. We become constrained, responsible, restricted. But could this also, somehow, be a gift?
The world will tell us otherwise. From it, we learn that we are never too old to have what we want. We are never too old to do anything. Nothing can, or at least should, stop us from getting what we want. Constraint is something that is ignored, pushed aside, shunned. We live in a culture where we can have it all, at least if we have the means to do so. Those who are the most restricted are shut away and scorned. Surely, we should not be reminded that anything could stop us from doing what we want?
To be sure there are great advantages to living in such an age, there is much that we must be thankful for, particularly if we are of an age, gender, race or social status that in the past would have meant that our destiny was predetermined. However, there is also a great danger to the children of light in living in such a culture. For we so easily take on the values of those around us. We are so easily distracted. We so quickly think that we too can have it all. The difficulty is that Jesus seems to think otherwise.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7: 13-14
I am not trying to say that we shouldn’t attempt the impossible. That God may not push us in directions that seem ludicrous and irrational, for my experience has been that he invites us to do just that. However, there are many things I dream of doing. And there are questions that I have learnt to ask. Is it worth it? If I follow this path, will it produce good? Is this ultimately just a hedonistic desire that actually has no place in my life as a child of God? Where is Jesus leading (for more on that see this post)? Am I doing what has already been set before me? And am I doing that well?
I am not saying that I always get this right. I make many mistakes. And I can get caught up in dreams and fantasies, imagining that they are right. Sometimes I have to choose to let things be, eternity, after all, will be a delightful place for some of my longings to be fulfilled.
Ultimately, if I can only do one thing well, I want to know Christ. I want to be found in the presence of God. I want my life to be filled with the fragrance of the Holy Spirit.
May that be true of me, and of you.
But there is a problem with this longing. For, unfortunately, it is coupled with a life of suffering and pain. At least that is how Paul saw it, for he wrote to the Philippians,
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death.”
Philippians 3:10
Do we want that? Do I want that?
Perhaps this is just Paul. I long to justify the fact that I can have the first part without the latter but, unfortunately, Jesus himself said
“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also.”
John 12:24-26
How I wish Jesus didn’t say that! I don’t like pain. I don’t like suffering. But I do want to be with Jesus. I long to be where he is. And, if this is the only way, I will choose it. Will you join me?
Lord Jesus, it is hard to live in our world as your children, for we know we don’t truly belong. And yet so easily we take on the thought patterns and the values of those around us. We don’t want to live a life that is limited or constrained, and we certainly do not want to suffer. But Jesus, we do want you. We want to know you. Help us to follow you no matter what. Help us to choose you even when that choice is costly. Please give us clarity and courage. And in doing so may we find ourselves in your presence. Amen
So what do you think? What decisions or possibilities are before you? What lens do you view them from? And what is most important to you?
Feel free to comment below, or to contact us at any time. If you subscribe to our blog, you will be notified when new posts are available, and/or follow us on Instagram.
One Reply to “The choices set before us”