A life that seems to make no sense but somehow works out best

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The Christian life, properly lived, may feel a lot like this: ‘I don’t know where I’m going, I often appear to be getting nowhere, and yet I’m content, for God is with me.’

It’s the life, in its ideal, that seeks to covet only God’s Presence, and nothing else.

Who would want to live such an uncertain life, living by faith, not by the assurance of knowing I’m in control? In other words, trusting control to God.

Only those who know they can and ought to trust God, knowing in the fullest measure of sincerity in their hearts that following God is the best life has to offer.

The life of faith seems to make no sense at all — certainly to the many onlookers who see us live a life where loss is gain, where we look for hope in pain.

What underpins the faith cause — why does God call us all to live by faith?

This is a truth we must all acknowledge for ourselves and reconcile: our ego wants life ever to be for us. Our life wants life our way or the highway. But the big problem is, if we get our way, often others don’t get theirs. That’s a big problem from God’s point of view — see how He cannot say ‘yes’ to all our prayers? If anyone gets their own way, we could think from God’s perspective, everyone must get their own way. That is an anomaly of life. In the realm of life, such an idea of everyone having their prayers answered is rank absurdity.

This is why we must live for God, living by faith in His created order of things, agreeing we cannot have our own way all the time or even most of the time. We must see that God has an interest in every life, not just our individual life.

This is why we strive live a life that looks to God every single moment, without insisting our portion of control over our life. This wisdom involves letting-go-to-get, recognising that seizing control in life only reconciles anxiety, whereas surrendering control rallies peace in our heart.

But such a life has the appearance that we don’t care about where we’re going or whether we’re getting ahead or not. Yet, what doesn’t look attractive is serenely pleasant for the one who lives it authentically.