Love life, love God

We have many things to learn from the writings of Apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:12–16, he says, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

Apostle Paul is saying that he is not a perfect person, he has not obtained everything. Before God, before Christ, Apostle Paul is humbling himself, breaking himself down.

Sometimes, when we look at the Providence of God, when we come across situations we cannot overcome, we realize how insufficient and weak we are, we self–torture. At other times, when we succeed in something, we gloat over our successes, our achievements. Apostle Paul never boasted about his achievements or successes but rather, always kept on striving ahead towards the goal holding onto Christ, holding onto the love of the Lord. He believed that his insufficiency could be overcome if he held onto God.

When we come across hardships and sufferings, we despair as our insufficiencies are revealed. As we stumble across such situations, we feel hard, we self–torture, we lose the focus of our lives. We grumble and complain. And, during such times, we should meditate on the words of Apostle Paul. We should accept our insufficiencies as they are, our imperfections as they are. Not accepting our imperfections or insufficiencies is arrogance. Like Apostle Paul, we should accept our weaknesses and turn to God for strength – "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9–10)

If we look at the life of Apostle Paul, it was full of persecution, hardship and suffering. Yet, he never grumbled or complained. His life was far from being a pleasant one. Yet, he continued to walk straight ahead, cheerfully. How could he overcome his situations? Two things – love of God and love of life.

Love Life – We have to learn to accept life as it is irrespective of the hardships and sufferings that may come with it. We have to learn to accept the WHOLE of life and not just what is pleasant or good to us. When we learn to accept life as it comes, when we learn to love life as it is, we will not be affected by surrounding situations or circumstances, no matter how unpleasant they may be. No matter how imperfect our lives may be, we should learn to love it.

Love God – We have to learn to never lose our focus on God, in His will. When we lose focus on God, we will lose our way in this path of faith. We will stumble and fall. If we stop looking at the Lord, when the storm enters our lives, we will sink into the water (Matthew 14:28–31). Apostle Paul never lost his focus on the goal – running towards Christ, running towards God. And, God gave him the strength to overcome everything.

In Christ, we can do everything. For He gives us strength, He can help us overcome our weaknesses. Let us be the ones who can love the Providence of God and live, striving towards our goal. When we learn to love our imperfect lives, when we do not lose focus on our goal – reaching Christ – though we are imperfect, we will be going towards perfection – Christ.

Love life. Love God. Have a beautiful weekend. God loves you.