getting & losing

Luke 9

23 Then (Jesus) said to the crowd,

    "If any of you wants to be my follower,

         you must turn from your selfish ambition,

         take up your cross daily,

         and follow me.

24 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.

25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul?


Sometimes, when I hear of someone passing away, I often wonder what they would say to us right at that very moment, if they could.

People like Robin Williams - what would he say to us right now if he could?

Or Leonard Nimoy?

Osama ben Laden?

Saddam Hussein?

Julia Child?

Heath Ledger?

Steve Jobs?

Amy Winehouse?

Elizabeth Taylor?

Maya Angelou?

Whitney Houston?

Joan Rivers?

Elvis?

Michael Jackson?


All of these people "gained the whole world" - but I wonder how they feel about it now?

I'm not being tacky, morbid, or kind of "nanee, nanee, boo, boo" to these people.

I just wonder what they would say to us today, right now, in light of those 3 verses I quoted above?

Because those 3 verses go against everything the world tells us is important...

     ...that we have to look out for ourselves...

     ...that we are the center of our universe...

     ...that things matter more than anything else...


But Jesus basically says to turn loose of everything & let Him lead & guide.

We equate the results of that turning loose through the lens of a success orientation, & the American Dream as the yardstick to measure that success.

Not so...

Jesus says let go of it all & follow Me.

Let Me determine the definition of your life.

Let it all go & take your cues from Me.


But how many of us trust Him THAT much.

Most of us settle for the good life...

     ...a life of our own choosing that we can handle & make happen.

Some of us choose a great life...

     ...a life that may be shaped by the standards of God, but over which we have control.

But very, very few of us choose the God life...

     ...a life totally abandoned to God, saying yes to the " 'ever's" - whatever, whoever, wherever, whenever, however.

And Jesus says that only in letting go of our life like that last one will we ever really find out what life - our life - is all about.


It's a tall order.

But even in the face of everything, I still choose to live like that.