What It Will Take to Survive (2010 and Beyond)

What It Will Take to Survive (2010 and Beyond)

We are given the lives we live directly by God. No amount of crying about it, moaning about it or wishing about it will change what will be the course of our lives. For whatever reason unknown to you or me, God has given us this life. I'm not sure why and I won't try to pretend to know what God's will is. I won't feign smartness and I'm not that arrogant. In fact, all that separates the ones who will triumph over the ones who will not is dignity. We are born into this world with nothing but the skin on our backs and that's the way we go out. Money? That means nothing. Posessions? That means even less. Achievements? Those are nice on a mantle or a scrapbook but it's still bupkis.

You are only left with one thing in this world and when people realize that, they'll start to have a much more fulfilling life and that is this: You must have dignity above all other things and the only way you have that is by clinging to the cross. It seems strange that you could find dignity by clinging on to something but that's the paradox of being a Christian. We are the most dignified when we cling to the cross. We are strongest when we are on our knees in humble obedience to the Lord. On this big ol' sinking Titanic they call life, that's your one life preserver when others are drowning and they don't even realize it. Oh sure, I could go on and on about doctrine but I'm not about "religion". I'm about relationship. And above all others, the only relationship that really matters is the one you have with your Savior Jesus. That's it. Not your relationship with your spouse or kids or even your parents or siblings means anything at all if you don't put Jesus first and very foremost everyday of your life.

Wow...that's some serious "doom-and-gloom", Sung. That's probably what you're thinking. But actually, it's quite the opposite. Those relationships I just mentioned with your loved ones SHOULD be a part of your daily Life in Christ. It's not about just loving your family or your friends...it's about loving them because Christ taught love and that doing this and loving your loved ones not only makes God happy but it is what He has called upon us to do. But not over loving God first and foremost. (I didn't really fully understand that part until fairly recently).

All I know is that when the rest of this world rears on its hind legs and bears it's ugliness, you must face and turn to the light and ignore that. Is that easy to do? Absolutely not. If it were easy, EVERYONE would want to be a Christian. If being a Christian was the popular route, you don't think more people would jump on this bandwagon? Being a disciple of Christ means you're gonna get spit on a lot (figuratively althought not always)....probably everyday of your life. Why? Because the world hates us. The world (which I believe is dominated by Satan by the way) hates Jesus with a fervent passion, so why on earth would the world welcomingly embrace and love us??? They wouldn't and they don't. But you can beat this world and you can beat frustration, confusion, exasperation, and even loneliness by always turning to your best friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Risen King who desperately WANTS a personal relationship with you. Christ died for EVERYONE both past and present who would call Him Lord and accept Him.

You know, I laugh when people say, "We all have our cross to bear" because Jesus would absolutely find that to remark to be amusing. He'd say, "What kind of cross is it that you think you have to bear after what I went through in Jerusalem and on Calvary that day?" He would say, "Did you have to live your life knowing that you would be sacrificed to a horrible death?" "Did you have to suffer and be humiliated under Pontius Pilate's decree that I was an outlaw criminal?" "Did you ever have to be battered and bruised and whipped beyond the point of human recognition?" Because the fact of the matter is this. We really have NO (ZERO) cross to bear in life BECAUSE of the one that He bore for us that day. Everything else in life is pale compared to that. Yes, we each have our challenges that God gives us to handle for whatever divine reason only He knows. But in the end, all we have to do is live out our lives each day devoting it to the Lord, accepting what comes, and trying to find meaning through Christ. If you can't do that...then you're lost. If you can do that....well, then welcome to the first day of the beginning of your life.

Now, I do want to make something very very clear. Nowhere did I ever say that being a Christian means, implies or makes you entitled to a perfect life. There's nothing perfect about Christians. In fact, some of the most flawed and broken people I know are Christians. Being saved by the cross is a privilege and an honor. Being Christian doesn't mean you're perfect. In fact, it's far from it. Being Christian means you're forgiven. Your debts have been cancelled by the blood from the cross shed by the one and only Lord, Jesus Christ. The veil was torn for you and for me and for all the world...if we just accept our gift and come to Jesus.

I don't know how many people actually read this blog and to be honest, I really don't care. Firstly because I write as a means of expression for myself only and secondly because even if one person reads this and stops to really think about "what it all means" and takes what I say to heart...well, then that's one more brick in the Kingdom of God. Please remember that even though life is difficult, the healthiest thing that you can do for yourself is to find peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In closing, I will repeat something that a colleague of mine once said at my old job. She said, "At the end of every day, you should only have two questions. How have I been blessed and how have I blessed others?"

I like that. This is how we will survive this year, this recession, this period of difficulty in our individual lives both in 2010 and beyond. May God bless you all and to God be the glory.