Abundant Life, or Not

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” Jesus affirms in John 10:10 (NIV). It’s a bold promise of hope for the kind of abundant, overflowing life available in relationship with Jesus Christ. The Message translation puts it this way: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

“Better life than they ever dreamed of”. Yet many Christ followers today would not use abundant or overflowing to describe their lives. On the contrary, some of us are struggling to get out of bed and make it through the day. We often find ourselves more focused on surviving than living in the abundance of this promise. In fear, embarrassment, shame, or guilt, we are often hesitant to admit the depth of our struggles to those around us.  In this kind of growing isolation, we miss out on the chance to receive the healing and grace that God offers through redemptive relationships.  We settle for an “appearance” rather than a reality.

We are not meant to walk through life alone. In Romans 12, the apostle Paul paints a picture of a Christian community that engages deeply and intentionally with one another, sharing burdens and victories. “Rejoice with those who rejoice,” Paul encourages, “and mourn with those who mourn” (12:15 NIV).  This is the kind of intimate, interdependent community to which we as Christ-followers are called. A community where there is no fear in admitting weakness, no competition that keeps us from rejoicing in one another’s victories, no condemnation in the process of learning what it means to live abundant life in Christ.

You do not have to be strong or “have it all together.” It is my belief that as we choose transparency before God and before others, we are making room for transformation and healing.

In humbling ourselves, we put ourselves in a position to be in awe of God’s strength in the midst of our weaknesses:

“Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

I have had the unique privilege of standing beside many people as they took these first steps of trust and transparency, as they enter into a counseling relationship. I believe that a “full” life is possible and that none of us are past redemption, too late to find our calling or beyond the healing power of relationship with God and fellow sojourners. I am on this journey myself and I invite you to join me and the others I have traveled with.