The Fulfilling Life

Matthew 16:25, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

How does someone experience a fulfilling life?

Throughout my life, I've found that people are all striving for one thing. That one thing is a fulfilling life. The way people go about looking for this life varies, but their reason for this search is the same. We all want a life worth living.

When I look at the world around me, I see the book of Ecclesiastes being played out. Some people look for meaning from one relationship to another. Others look for meaning in wealth. Still others look for meaning in position. No matter where they look, they seem to reach the same conclusion: Life is meaningless.

I've pondered this often, and I know the Sunday School answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" Answer: To serve and glorify God.

As I get older, often the question of, "What is the meaning of life?" changes to the more personal question of, "What is the meaning of your life?" That question is asked of me this way, "What are you doing with your life? Are you going to college? Are you getting married anytime soon? What are you doing?"

Somehow, these things still dominate the thoughts of what people believe are meaningful: Career, position, relationship.

Throughout the years, I've found that even wonderful things in and of themselves cannot bring me a meaningful life.

The pastor's sermons at the church I've recently been attending have challenged me. He has been talking about how we so often invite Jesus to come into our stories, but it ends there. However, we aren't supposed to just invite God into our story. Rather, God is inviting us to step into His story.

As I've heard these sermons, I've realized that the meaning of life can only be lived out if I will surrender my story for God's story. The only way for me to experience a truly fulfilling life is to let go of my story in exchange for God's.

In the sermon, one of the questions the pastor asked is, "Are you all in?"

Am I all in when it comes to following Jesus?

There has been one major area in my life where I haven't been all in with Jesus. That is the area of relationship. My dream for a husband and children is the one dream I haven't wanted to give up. I hold onto it for dear life and hope that God won't tell me to let it go. However, the more I hang onto that dream, the more I miss what God wants to do right now.

Today, March 2, 2015, God has a plan. He is inviting us to be a part of that plan... but are we willing to accept the invitation if that means we have to choose between our dream and God's dream?

The more I try to hold onto my life, my dreams, and my plans, the more I build a kingdom on a foundation that will not last. In Matthew 16:25 we see that if we try to hang onto this life we will lose it, but if we will give up this life in exchange for Christ, we will save our lives.

The key to a fulfilling life is to give up this life and all it has to offer and begin following wholeheartedly after Jesus.

How does someone do that? Surrender.

If you're ready to experience the fulfilling life, I encourage you to step into God's story and watch your life begin to transform before your very eyes.

Dear Heavenly Father,

So desperately I desire to have a fulfilling life that matters and makes a difference. When I'm long gone from this world, I want to be remembered as someone who was a woman after Your own heart and whose life made a difference for the Kingdom of God. Sometimes I get so focused on this world and the temporary dreams that I don't want to let go of that I nearly miss the story You're inviting me to be a part of that is Your own. Help me not hang onto this world, but rather help me lose my life for Your sake and find the fulfilling life in that daily decision. In Jesus' Name.

Amen.