Choose Life

Read:

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 16:32-33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."

Remember:

What is the meaning of life? Plato described man as,

"A being in search of meaning."

Neel Burton, a teacher of Philosophy in Oxford, England wrote in *Psychology Today that,

"The meaning of life is that which we choose to give it."

He articulates in his article that even if there is a God who made us for a purpose, that purpose is not a purpose at all because it's not of our own choosing or engineering. Therefore, we should ignore God and make our own meaning of our lives.

I would agree with Plato that as people, we do all search for meaning in this life. In fact I would go on to say that, the longing in us is one of the greatest proofs God is real, we were created by God, and in the image of God. As for Mr. Burton's idea; that's a big load of existential hogwash. If the best way to find meaning and purpose in my life is through my own selfish and minuscule mind, then the smallness and bleakness of my greatest ideas are worthless and life is nothing. And if there is a god who would create us with such a pointless purpose, then He would be a god of evil and not of good. The world today is a terrible mess of hopelessness and despair exactly because they turn to their own design for their meaning, only leaving them empty. That is not God.

~What do you think the meaning of life is?

There is a God who created you on purpose with purpose. The majesty of the heavens declare His power and greatness, the tiniest of atoms delclare His perfection and order, and His thumbprint placed on every person declares His meaning and purpose over us; to know Him, to bring glory to Him, and to abide in His love. He showed us His meaning by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our way, our truth, and our life. Our meaning of life is found in a personal love relationship with Him, that starts the moment we believe and trust in Jesus and lasts for eternity. This relationship transcends our greatest hopes and our wildest dreams because it's not based on our sinful and finite ideas, but on His infinite goodness and grace.

John 27:3

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

My story, my relationship with my Lord and Savior began when I was just a small girl, after my sister had died. He opened my eyes to see my sin and my need for Him. I grabbed hold of His forgiveness and salvation and clung to it as I grew. The world would continue to let me down in almost every way imaginable, but in Him life mattered and I had a hope to hang onto. So as I graduated High School, I had a one track heart and mind. I had seen the uncertainty of my circumstances at any given time but also came to know God's faithfulness in all my circumstances as I read His word and spent time with Him. He was my one for sure thing. He was everything I wanted to live for. Living for Him in everything I did became my prayer that summer, before I was to start college at The University of Central Florida.

I loved children and I loved teaching, so that's what I planned to do. God is so great that He created us all unique and gives us desires and talents to guide us in living in His purpose for us. I was excited to teach and start school but I felt like there was supposed to be more. My meaning in life came from knowing God and sharing Him with others. I planned to continue that at college but I was at a place to be fully surrendered to what God wanted. I prayed God would give me a way, a testimony, to share Him with the world around me. He called me and chose to save me and I believed and choose to live in Him and for Him. This was life to me. I meant the prayer with every bit of my being, but I had no idea what that would bring about, not just in the next months, but for the rest of my life.

~Have you ever made a hard decision, that may have even caused you or others pain, because you knew you needed to give up something good for what is best in life?

When we follow God with our life, we can't contiue to go the same way, we have to change. I had just started dating a good friend from High school. Jeff and I had been in band together for four years. He played trombone and I played Flute/piccolo. We became good friends our senior year and we decided to date just after we graduated. In completely surrendering my life and future to God, I realized Jeff was not in the same place as me. He said he was a Christian but I felt a tugging peace on my heart that I needed to focus on my relationship with God. I broke things off after a couple weeks and explained that I really felt like God was going to do something in my life. I wanted to stay friends but I needed to be focused on what God wanted to do right then. Jeff laughed it off awkwardly and agreed to remain friends. In the back of his mind you know he was thinking, Wow, what a stupid excuse. I felt awful but I knew in the pit of my stomach this was the right thing to do.

One month later in mid July, as Jeff was hanging with his usual group of friends he got a call from our friend, Eran.

"Jeff! Turn on the TV! Laura's church van has been in an accident! It's showing details now."

Jeff turned on the TV and there it was: upon returning from a mission trip to North Florida, The church van had blown a tire and rolled 3 times off the Florida Turnpike and down a hill. There were 8 passengers involved with several being airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center.

~When was a time where your life was blown off course from what you had planned?

Jeff rushed to the hospital with two other friends, Jason and Ryan, where they were sent to the Intensive Care Unit waiting room. The room was crowded with church members and the news was not good. I had been thrown 50 feet from the van and was in a deep comatose state with a brain bleed in the basal ganglia (like the computer motherboard for the brain), as well as severe shearing along the frontal lobe, punctured lungs, a lacerated spleen, and 3 fractures to my pelvic bone. The doctors said I wouldn't make it past three days if the bleeding in the center of my brain didn't stop.

And in a split second my life, as I knew it, was over.

I know... this doesn't seem like a very meaningful or fulfilling life, come to a standstill the week before I was suppose to go to my college orientation. But God...God is God and we are not. In the midst of this tragic and devastating circumstance, I was ready to face my Lord. Life had been far from perfect and I was even farther from perfect, but He had been perfect on my behalf and covered my sin with His righteousness. I chose life in Him and it was more than I could dream of. My physical body might be broken and in pain permanently now, but my soul was at perfect peace in His presence now. My joy was full and I was ready to go home.

I don't remember pain, or fear, or uncertainty of any kind. I only remember perfect peace with Him as He held my right hand. And what He said to me is something I pray I will never forget.

"Laura, it's not time for you to come home yet. I still have more for you to do. But do not be afraid. I will be with you every step of the way."

Matthew 16:24-26

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

He called me to take up my cross and follow Him and I did. I chose life. Life with purpose on purpose. The future, the frustrations, the failures, the heartache, and the pain were not a thought in my mind at the time. I only knew His faithfulness, His goodness, His purposes, and His love. He was all I had and He was all I needed. He was my way, my truth, and my life. It was a good thing too, because when I did wake up to the world around me, there was nothing left of me.

Now God was going to show me what it is to be emptied completely and filled fully by Him. To find your life, you must first loose it. And what a wonderful life it is.

My cup overflows.

*https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201803/what-is-the-meaning-life