Life to full

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

— John 10:10 (ESV)

It was just a little over a year ago when a friend of mine prayed over me. A simple and beautiful, but powerful gesture that would forever change my perspective on life…

I listened in agreement as she spoke God’s promises and abundant blessings over me. Then she said something that caught my full attention. “Jesus, you died and suffered so that we wouldn’t have to. You died so that we could enjoy our lives, an abundant life here on earth.”

As the prayer flowed seamlessly from her lips everything in me stood at attention. The words tossed turbulently in my mind, yet my friend continued on, completely unaware of my adverse reaction. What did she mean when she said God died for us to enjoy our lives? Weren’t we called to suffer? You see, at that time everything in my life felt upside down. I had two books filled with pages of God’s promises to me. One being my Bible, and the other, my journal. Yet nothing in my life looked like those promises.

While I continued to pray -because let’s be real, what other options did I have? - my heart had grown cold to the idea that we, the children of God were called to an abundant life. The life I had lived up to that point had convinced me that as followers of Jesus Christ, we were called to suffer. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. I anchored this ideology in scriptures that seemed to paint that picture. At least to me…

“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
- John 16:33
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
- Matthew 16:24

Considering the fact that the cross was approximately 300 lbs and the journey to Golgotha was uphill I knew Jesus had called us to suffer. I had adopted a completely cynical view of this walk with God and was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yes, I had hope but not the useful kind. I had hope that somewhere down the line yet another terrible, heartbreaking obstacle would be awaiting me.

In doing this, I completely negated the fact that the Bible speaks of joy on countless occasions, assuring us that it is ours to hold. I had traded in that particular promise for a life void of positive expectations. I had developed an inability to enjoy the sweetness of God. Ignorant to the fact that all of creation works in seasons. Some filled with beauty. Some filled with ashes. ALL of which work together for our good.

The most devastating aspect of this way of being is that if we do not believe we are called to an abundant life, we will never embrace or pursue it. We will shy away from it every chance we get. We’ll walk away from friendships, relationships, jobs, and opportunities believing that the potential joy attached to those things are

1) Unattainable.

2) Too good to be true.

3) Simply not for us.

If left unchecked this will eventually turn into imposter syndrome, low self-worth, depression, anxiety, and self-sabotage to name a few. Each of which, are thieves of joy and the abundant life Jesus promised. I speak from firsthand experience.

An abundant life does not mean that you will become a multimillionaire. It does not mean that you will wake up tomorrow on a private yacht in the Amalfi Coast (but just in case you do… call me). It is not the promise of a stress-free and problem-free experience here on earth. Rather, it is a promise that you, like David, “will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13) It is the assurance that you do not have to be afraid of the future and the things to come because God will meet you in each moment.

For you, that may look like embracing the fact that you can have a healthy marriage, and health in your body. Or maybe it’s trusting God for a circle of friends who love you, and intercede for you. Perhaps it’s being part of a strong church community, becoming a successful business owner, or a published author. Or, an anxiety free life, one void of worry and instead filled with laughter and peace.

For me, it looks like getting out of my own way, (or to be really frank, God’s way) and allowing God to use ALL of my gifts FULLY for His glory. It’s expecting joy in this beautiful story He has written out for me.

Jesus suffered immensely so that we wouldn’t have to and while that does not mean that things will be perfect on this side of Heaven; it does mean that there is goodness stored up for you not only in Heaven but also here on earth. God promised us life, but He didn’t stop the sentence there. He added a comma and continued, “life to the full”.

Believe it. Take hold of it and live life abundantly in Jesus’ name.

An Abundant Life.

Life to full