Learning to Live

The tagline for this blog is “learning to live, love, trust.” Perhaps it seems like a strange thing to say, especially for a seminary graduate. I confess, I used to think that when I graduated from seminary I would have it all figured out. I thought I would know the answers, be able to defend my faith with conviction and truth, and, at the very least, be able to pray great and moving prayers when asked to do so by relatives at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

That’s not what I came away with though. Oh, I know some answers, can defend my faith decently, and am not as nervous about praying in front of others. But I came away with a desire to learn and to share, and to help others relate to the Bible – specifically the Old Testament. I am still learning to live as one who is called by God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and loved unconditionally by Him. I am still learning to love myself as I was created, and to love others as God desires me to, and, above all, to love God passionately. I am still learning to trust God and His goodness, to trust that He is in control and can do more than I ever dare imagine and hope for, and to trust others with my heart and my soul. Its hard work being vulnerable.

In this post, I am going to just address the first of these three things: learning to live. John 10:7-10 says:

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus came so that we could live, but not as the world lives. Sometimes it’s so hard to figure out where the sacred ends and the secular begins and vice versa because the two are so mixed and intertwined. When Jesus came, he turned everything upside down and told us we had it all wrong. We had been living all wrong. Jesus said in Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Say what?

Back to John 10. Jesus is telling Pharisees that there is only one way to live and love, and anything else is counterfeit. Thieves and Robbers say there is more, or that there is a different path: “Do this, pursue that. It will fill you and make you whole. If you follow these instructions, these 5, 10, 15 steps, you will be safe and secure. You can do it. You can make yourself so strong you will not be touched.” Sound familiar? We are all searching for meaning and purpose. We all want to leave a legacy behind so our name will not be forgotten, so we will be known forever. But known by who? Other mortals who will just die?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:3, “But whoever loves God is known by God.” And also in Galatians 4:9, “but now you know God—or rather are known by God…” We strive after what we already have. It’s hard to hold onto it because it’s not a certificate on the wall that reminds us of something we have like a college education. It is a vibrant and growing relationship that requires faith and the daily decision to choose Jesus, listen to his voice, and follow Him regardless of where it leads us. And that can be a scary thing, especially when we are comfortable and have “made it” according to the world’s standards.

Learning to live means learning to place my identity in Christ and his work, and not my own. Learning to live means trusting that Jesus’ way is better because his strength and power are what sustains me every day. Learning to live means turning away from worldly titles, possessions, and patterns and believing that heaven will be better because that’s where Christ is and only in him am I complete, perfect, and can really live.