Live as You Were Meant to Live

It has been a long time since I have blogged.  I have struggled with the balance of working, while trying to keep a house in sensible order, and still maintain good relationships with my family by finding time to spend with my husband and children.  Quite a juggling act, I’ll have to admit. There has been more than one time in the last few months that I’ve lost balance with the whole thing and all the balls have crashed down.  My juggling act has, on many occasions, become quite a mess; time to refocus.  That is where I find myself tonight.  My body thinks it is still on the night shift, so although I’m not at work tonight, I’m wide awake after a couple hours sleep. 

At the small group my husband and I attend from our church, we have been doing a study series by Bill Hybels called Just Walk Across the Room.  The focus of our most recent study was on telling our faith story.  There a tendency to lose sight of the big picture when telling our faith story.   Often, stories are long winded, unfocused, and really not clear.  Rather than inviting people to explore faith, our stories can make them want to run from any association with faith.   We all laughed at the rather humorous way the examples of ‘bad stories’ were presented.   I found I could identify and had been on the receiving end of many a bad story, myself, while others have had to listen to my bad story.  How do we share our stories well? What makes a good faith story?  Each faith story is basically the same.  There is our life without Jesus, our decision to follow Jesus, and our life after Jesus.  Put in those simple terms, it really forces you to focus on what your life was without Christ, and what it has become because of Christ. 

It is good to revisit your faith story on a daily basis. Not necessarily wallowing in what was before Christ, but refocusing on what life has become because of Christ.  Lately, I’m not sure my life is a glowing example of “becoming”.  It can be a little closer to “hit or miss” and “sink or swim”.  Getting a grasp on what my life has become because of Christ is also helping me come to terms with other questions that I have lost sight of in the rush of busyness. What are my priorities? What is my purpose?  It is good to remember from where you have come, to help you focus on where you are going. Tonight while reading my Bible a passage really reached out and grabbed me.  In Acts 16:22-36 in the conversation between Paul, Silas, and the jailer, the jailer asked “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus, then you’ll live as you were meant to live – and everyone in your house included!” MSG

 Beautiful, isn’t it? “Live as you were meant to live”;   It makes me realise this is not the life Christ has called me to, or better said I’m not living my life the way Christ has called me to live it.  He has given me this life, my family, my job, and He calls me to live it the way I am meant to live.  Not my messy style, but with a clear focus on Him, putting my entire trust in the Master Jesus.   Relieving, isn’t it, so much simpler and meaningful.

I don’t remember much of my life before Christ.  I was raised in a home where I was taught about faith from my earliest memory.  When I was about five years old I knelt at the couch in our front room with my Mom and we prayed together because I had decided to follow Jesus.  Although I was very young, I distinctly remember the instant feeling of freedom and guiltlessness I experienced.  It was like a load had been lifted.  When I was fourteen I began to understand that following Jesus was not about following rules, but having a relationship with God who wants to be intimately involved in my life.  I am still learning about God’s grace, I can’t and don’t have to earn my salvation; it has never been my job.  That job belongs to Jesus, He paid it all.  I am learning to trust Him more and more. 

 Help me to put my entire trust in you, Master Jesus, then I will live as I was meant to live.