Some of us are list makers. We have to-do lists for every day, week, or month. We make to-do lists to plan vacation packing, school year supplies, or medical testing. We even have the honey-do lists for our spouses.
Do you have the list that is brown with age, that crinkles when you unfold it? The list you made when you were seven or ten or twenty-one? The bucket list of items you hope to do before you die, from seeing the Eiffel Tower to hiking the Grand Canyon?
But what about a Christian’s bucket list? What should it entail? Paul’s letter to the Colossians offers several important things to consider when creating your own bucket list. “Set your mind on things above,” he advises, “not on earthly things” (3:2). This axiom seems like simple enough advice, until you read his further definition of those things above as opposed to the things of this world.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry,” Paul admonishes (3:5). For those who have died to the earthly nature when they asked for Christ to be their Savior and now walk with the Indwelling Holy Spirit, these may seem like big picture evils that are usually on the radar to avoid. But for God, all sins are equal. Only we humans have graded them as better or worse.
Paul makes the extent of our requirements to the good even more specific when he writes, “But now you must rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (3:8-10). The bar is raised to what can only seem impossibly high standards to mere mortals, but which is all possible through Christ.
Does your bucket list include to-dos like kind words, good deeds, self-sacrifices, and speaking in truth? Does it include volunteer work and using the gift(s) God gave you for the purpose to which He gave it? If my eyes are truly on things that are above, will it really matter if I see Disneyland as long as I have a neighbor who is hurting and needs my help? Shouldn’t my greatest glory be God’s greatest glory?
That’s easier said than done in a world where those who have material things are looked upon with awe and wonder. But when we realize that material things are meaningless to God, just think of the peace of mind and the endless opportunities that open up for us on this earth, and in the heavenly kingdom to come.
Category: Living
Choose Life to the Full
“I have come,” Christ tells us, “that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Sitting in Sunday service and hearing this verse read to me, a verse surely I have myself read more than a dozen times, I was struck by a sort of ‘ah-ha’ moment. As I have mentioned before, I am a person who struggles with high anxiety and perfectionism, both of which rob me of a life to the full. Let me clarify that. I allow these issues to rob me of life to the full. But hearing this verse from John that Sunday morning, I really heard that Christ does not want me to have a life limited by my mental issues, but a life to the full.
As always, when I come to a conclusion based on a Bible verse, I know that I cannot jump to too many conclusions without first sitting that verse up against the entire context of God’s word. In this case, that approach meant starting a search for how God defines a life to the full, for we know that a definition based on human desire would include things that are not important to God, like a better car or Egyptian cotton sheets.
I started my search in Proverbs, where I know that the writer propounds on what makes a wise life and found instruction such as maintaining prudent behavior and doing what is right and fair. I pretty quickly zoomed over to the Sermon on the Mount, where I found many insights into Christ’s version of life to the full. The Beatitudes tell us what comes from a life to the full: comfort, mercy, filling, and belonging to God and His kingdom. Life to the full glorifies God through good deeds, forgives and does not hold onto anger, understands that God alone is in control of what will happen, gives when asked, and follows the Golden Rule. Life to the full does not include worry, but leans on God and knows to live in this day, which has troubles and challenges enough to fill it.
My life to the full means not allowing worry or anxiety to keep me from helping others, from glorifying God by enjoying a bright day, or from doing what is right according to God’s rules. I am finding that when I give myself credit for times when I have shown courage in dealing with situations that make me anxious, I can become better at handling future situations. My new mantra is I have courage. It sounds silly, but if I really say this to myself enough times during a tough situation, I find that I really do feel better.
God wants me to have a life to the full, but that doesn’t mean I am off the hook. It doesn’t just get handed to me. I need to live a Christ-like life, and I need to do my best to conquer my demons. Knowing God has plans for me to live to the full helps in the daily battle that is living. I pray it helps you, too.
Tales from the woodshed
Okay, I’ve never actually been taken to the woodshed. I may even be part of the last generation that even knows what the phrase means exactly. But being taken to the woodshed isn’t exactly what this entry is about.
The one thing I am an expert at is taking myself to the woodshed. I visit it several times a day, and on really bad days, I take a pillow and blanket and hanker down for the duration.
The problem with this situation is two-fold: I waste valuable energy beating myself up for things that really aren’t that important, and I fail to see myself through God’s eyes, failing to see my really important flaws and missing out on all the love that God has to offer.
When I am in the woodshed, I don’t give myself credit for being human. Any mistake in my job or in my interactions with others only proves my unworthiness or stupidity.
At the same time, the woodshed gives me a sort of martyr perspective, where I spend so much energy on lashing myself about things that don’t matter, that I don’t realize I have fallen victim to pride, judgmentalism, or any number of loveless acts that ultimately fail God. The woodshed can be a very self-centered place, where you become so wrapped up in yourself, even if that focus is negative, you don’t even realize you’ve stopped thinking about others in a Golden Rule kind of way.
One thing a woodshed view can do for you is make you quick to judge: yourself as well as others. When you spend all day rushing to judgment about your own actions, it isn’t long before you are doing the same thing about other people without even realizing it. Does everybody have to live the same way you do? Are they required to make the same decisions or pursue a task in the same way? In the woodshed, you tend to forget that the answer to these questions is “no.”
When I started thinking about this topic, I asked myself, “what does God say about the woodshed?” Of course, He wants us to remove the beam from our own eyes before worrying about the specks in others’ eyes. But, do His beams include taking two hours instead of one to finish a project, or not having the best figure in the world, or worrying about getting your car or house fixed?
God also makes it clear throughout the Bible that He is the ultimate and only true judge. Paul’s ministry is based on the understanding that only through grace, received from God through the death and resurrection of Christ, do we receive salvation. Our acts do not earn us our salvation. It is a gift. This fact is a lucky thing too, for in his letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us that we “all have fallen short of the glory of God.” No matter how hard we try, none of us will ever be perfect.
That doesn’t keep us from trying to be Christ-like. One true sign of the full acceptance of Christ is our desire to be Christ-like. But the woodshed just isn’t Christ’s style. He was always truthful, always firm, but never cruel. Think about His encounter with the woman at the well or the rich young man.
I made a goal this year to try to keep myself out of the woodshed, which should make me less judgmental of myself and others. This is a goal that requires discipline on my part. I have to replace woodshed moments with encouraging words for myself and others. I have to envision a large STOP sign when I find myself thinking woodshed thoughts. I have to pray to turn my mind to the things that are important to God and not to me.
Writing about it helps me realize how damaging my woodshed moments can really be. I hope that any others who find themselves in the same situation discover their own, positive ways out. With God’s help, it’s something we all can do.
De-coding our prayers
In the good old days when I taught English composition to reluctant classes of grumbling college freshmen, I used a core concept to try to explain the importance of detail in writing which I called the “code word.”
Code words are those general ideas or phrases that we say all the time that carry much more meaning for us than just the word alone implies. Think of it like Hemingway’s iceberg theory, where the reader only sees the tip when the bulk of meaning is beneath the surface. Of course, the method of minimalism works just fine for a brilliant writer like Hemingway. In the hands of an untutored writer, a code word is just a general idea with no foundation or substance at all. Think of sentences like, “the book was really cool and made me think” with nothing else there to back these conclusions up.
To help my students understand a bit better what I meant by this concept, I would use the example of our prayers. In our prayers, we use codes, or shortcuts, all the time. God is, after all, omnipotent. He, at least, knows what we mean when we say “take care of Timmy,” or “keep us safe.”
As I reminisced about this practice earlier this week, I began to wonder if our own code words in prayer really serve us well at all. Do you find yourself repeating the same phrases each time you pray? Didn’t Jesus once scold those around Him who relied on meaningless repetition in prayer, which only keeps us further away from a meaningful relationship with God? After a while, do your own coded prayers really mean anything to you at all, or are they just good luck rituals, mantras with a seemingly positive meaning but very little power?
De-coding our own prayers can be just as difficult as writing more specifically always seemed to be for my students. You can’t just hit the highlights and move on, assuming God knows it all anyway. That strategy works in certain moments when we are so anguished all we can manage is a cry of “Abba,” but what about our day-to-day discussions with the Almighty?
If we take the time to spell out our hopes, fears, desires, and needs, will we not discover more about ourselves? In the end, what exactly do we want to be kept safe from? What dangers should we ourselves be looking out for? If we find ourselves only coming up with material wishes when we pray with specifics instead of codes, what does that tell us about our own need for spiritual growth?
At the same time, don’t you think that a God who goes to such great lengths to know and be known by His children would want to hear us take the time and effort to verbalize as specifically as possible what we want to say to Him? Are code words really the best we can do? Since God only deserves our best, I think we should take it to that next level.
So, it’s time to de-code, step up to the challenge and speak to God like we really believe He is there and listening. You may just be surprised what you learn about yourself and your prayer life if you do.
And you’ll write a killer college essay, should the need ever arise.
goodchristianfiction 