There is a line in the song Seasons of Love that asks, “How do you measure a life?” It’s a good question to ask, I think, especially for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. It’s a good question because it demands an answer. The question is not the “how do you want to be remembered at your funeral,” type of question. It is about how you measure your life every day, in even the smallest of choices you are called.
- Do you lay on the horn when a car cuts in front of you, or do you let your grace be shown?
- Do you complain about the decision your team made, every time there is a meeting, or do you think and talk about what is good, true, honorable, and praiseworthy?
- Do you grumble about how long the lines are for the bathroom or do you let your gentleness be seen by others?
- How do you respond when the wait staff makes an error with your dinner order?
- What do you talk about when the pastor said something in the sermon that you didn’t like, or the music wasn’t your taste, or when the order of worship changed?
- What do you do when there is another shooting in a school or workplace or house of worship?
- How do you respond when you encounter racism or gender related judgmentalism?
The question from the song is a good one for us to consider. “How do you measure a life?” The song also proposes an answer to the question.
Remember
the love
Measure in love
Measure, measure your life in love
The theme of this year’s Annual Conference is “Called Anew to Follow” (CATF). It, too, is a challenging phrase. How will we let the decisions we make our words and our actions align with the values of the One we claim to follow?
In the next two weeks I ask you to engage in the “CATF” challenge. At the end of each day take a moment to journal about how you lived your life and revealed your faith. Read Colossians 3:12-17, then answer the following three questions:
- In all that I did and said, did I demonstrate to others that I follow Jesus Christ?
- In what ways did I struggle to reflect that I am a follower of Jesus?
- Tomorrow, how will I live into the reality that I am called anew to follow (CATF) Jesus?
Called Anew to Follow – Who do you follow, how do you follow, why do you follow? And do you let that call to follow be fresh and new with each interaction, every decision you make?
Being Called Anew to Follow will shape us, if we let it. I hope we do. I hope I do.
