Your One LifeSample

Day Three: Clarity and Courage

I believe there are two primary obstacles that get in the way of living a kairos life.

The first obstacle is what I would call passivity or drift. We get caught in the current of everyday life and are swept along without asking, “Is this the way I want to live?” We don’t take the time to evaluate what we believe and then find clarity for the kind of life we long to live.

I am unapologetically asking you to step back and take a macro look at your life. Where is it headed? What trajectory are you on? What are your values? If you play the movie of your life forward, what kind of final scene does it have? 

The second obstacle has to do with courage. When I look in the rearview mirror at more than sixty years of life, one of my deepest regrets has to do with the issue of courage. The honest truth is I am not a naturally courageous person. When I think of the word courage, there are a couple other words that aren’t lagging far behind: risk and pain. And generally speaking, I am not a fan of either. 

But when I examine the Bible, I see that the life of absolute devotion to Christ always involves courage. Somewhere along your journey, Jesus will call you to take the risk of being courageous. Living for God’s purposes will most certainly put you at odds with the world system. And staying true to your unique purpose will put you in the place of disappointing people you care about. There are many voices in your life that are more than happy to tell you how you should live and what you should give your time and energy to. But it’s not their life... it is your life. And it takes courage to steward well your one life. 

To craft the life you want, you must get clarity about God’s ultimate purposes in the world and also your unique purpose in this life. But clarity alone is not enough. Acquiring more knowledge is not enough to achieve the life you deeply long for. It’s going to take clarity and courage to stay the course and be true to yourself and God’s purposes. 

If your life ended this month, what would you regret?