WHAT'S THE POINT?

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20 ESV)

When I first met the great Jesuit peacemaker and poet Father Daniel Berrigan, I wanted his advice about the life that lay ahead for me, but I didn't know exactly what to say. "What's the point of all this?" I finally asked him. Dan took my awkward question seriously. "All we have to do is make our lives fit into the story of Jesus," he said. "We have to get our lives to make sense in light of the Gospel." 

What a helpful answer! I never forgot it. The Christian life, I was learning, is fashioned after the life of Jesus. As His followers, we have to know His story, enter His story, and make our story part of His story. The Gospel, in other words is the measure of our lives. 

-- Father John Dear in “Transfiguration- A Meditation on Transforming Ourselves and Our World”

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THE STORY OF OUR LIVES - Part 3 of 3

When we are passing through those awful chapters and difficult seasons [of life], we sometimes cannot see God or imagine how things will work out. But when we look back over our lives, in hindsight, we see how God moved the plot forward, enfolding it into the story of God’s redemption in our lives.

Here is what I know -- God can and will transform our pain, redeem our suffering, and lift us out of the darkest pits. Out of our dark moments, God writes a story of triumph. With God as our co-author, the dark times are never the end of the story…

Your story is not complete; the remaining chapters are yet to be written. God’s plan for your life is not yet set in stone; you have a chance to shape the story. As you do, this is God’s will: that you “lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10) 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Why? - Making Sense of God’s Will”

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THE STORY OF OUR LIVES - Part 2 of 3

The biblical story reminds us that the difficult chapters are never the final chapters of our story. Think about just a few of the many stories in the Bible that include adversity and pain but ultimately end in triumph.

Joseph, when he was in prison, could not see that one day soon he would become Pharaoh’s right-hand man (see Genesis 39-41). Naomi, while mourning the death of her husband and sons, could not see that the children of her daughter-in-law Ruth would start a family line that would one day lead to the greatest king Israel would ever know, and that Naomi’s mourning would be turned to laughter. The Israelites, while being led away from the promised land by their Babylonian conquerors could not see that within fifty years their children would return home singing. And the disciples, as they watched Jesus crucified, could not know that on the third day He would rise from the dead. 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Why? - Making Sense of God’s Will”

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THE STORY OF OUR LIVES - Part 1 of 3

Some chapters in our lives are marvelous mountaintops filled with joy. Recently I officiated at the wedding of a wonderful young couple. Seeing their happiness, listening to the bride’s father toast his daughter and brand-new-son-in-law, and watching the kids dance together was a moment of joy. Kids going off to college, babies being born, big promotions coming our way, these are joy-filled chapters of our lives. You may be in the midst of one of these chapters right now. You never want this chapter to end.

But any great story includes its share of conflict, challenges, struggles, and pain. Yours will include these as well, not because God brings pain into your life, but simply because pain is a part of every life.

Right now you might be walking through one of the difficult chapters in your life. Perhaps you must persevere through the death of someone you love or find hope when you have been out of work… Maybe your marriage has just ended, or you are facing a frightening illness. You don’t know what the next chapter will hold, but you trust that there will be a next chapter.

The biblical story reminds us that the difficult chapters are never the final chapters of our story. 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Why? - Making Sense of God’s Will”

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