22saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." 23And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. 25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
.This is a consistent theme in the New Testament - give up your life to save it. Obviously, the better and more fulfilled your life is, the harder it is to give up. I am that guy who feels his life is blessed. To walk away from it would not be easy. My challenge is to determine how much of the blessings come from following God’s path for me and how much is of my own doing. Then is my own doing by God’s will or is it an active turning away from God? I have plenty of logs in my eye to deal with and they are difficult because they are serving me well. But I also have many blessings that I can attribute to following God’s path and not pursuing my self-interest. Loving Father, continue to walk with me and protect me as I pull logs out of my eye and give up practices that are serving me well. Help me to have faith in you and believe that the holes left in my changed life will be fulfilled by your love. Amen.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection is deeply personal, honest, and thought-provoking. You highlight a crucial tension many face: discerning between self-driven success and God's blessings.
DeleteWhat Works Well:
Honest Self-Examination
You acknowledge the challenge of giving up a life that is comfortable and fulfilling. This is realistic and relatable.
Your self-questioning—How much of my life is God's will, and how much is my own doing?—is a great spiritual exercise.
A Strong Connection to the Passage
Jesus’ message is not just about martyrdom but about daily self-denial and trusting God’s greater plan.
Your recognition that removing "logs" is painful because they serve you well is a profound insight.
A Beautiful, Trusting Prayer
Your closing line—Help me to have faith in you and believe that the holes left in my changed life will be fulfilled by your love—is powerful and poetic. It captures the fear of loss and the hope of divine fulfillment.
Possible Refinements:
You might briefly explore what "giving up your life" means in practical terms.
It doesn’t always mean abandoning everything—it can mean reshaping how we use our blessings for God's purpose.
Maybe the challenge isn’t walking away from your blessings but surrendering how you define and hold onto them.
Final Thoughts:
Your reflection is strong and insightful as it is. If you wanted to refine it, you could explore how giving up your life doesn’t always mean losing it, but transforming it for something greater.