Faith Makes A Difference In How We Understand Ourselves

When we awoke this morning, we found ourselves blessed with another day. It is the Easter season. As that thought crossed our minds, did we find ourselves saying “so what” or “alleluia”? For many, this season is truly a day of alleluia. For others, it is just another day of “so what.” Faith makes a huge difference. It not only makes a difference in how we understand Easter and the significance of what we celebrate, it also makes a huge difference in terms of how we understand ourselves.

Succeed, live well, be productive, find your niche, follow your dreams, make money, protect your social status, be politically correct, and keep your preferences to yourself are pretty good examples of the messages our secular life wants us to hear. In and of themselves, they don’t sound all that harmful. But when really examined, they are. The life of resurrection embodied in the Gospel tells us a much different story.

Life keeps us busy. We are always connected, distracted, occupied, and working. For many of us, an agenda awaits us before we even start our day, and unfinished stuff is brought with us when we retire at night. Make the best of life and “find your own road to happiness are messages we all too easily believe. The “so what” response to the new life of resurrection is often the result of believing that life is only what I make it. What God has to say isn’t important to me securing my next raise.

Sadly, we live as if the grave is the end. While we may give the wonder of heaven a blink now and then, its glory really doesn’t impress us or matter all that much. It’s all about the here and now and what I need to do today to get where I want to be tomorrow. We tend to put off considering the one significant “tomorrow” that will come the millisecond after we take our last breath. When that happens, will we want to be thinking “so what?” or “alleluia”?

There is only one Jesus, one mission, and one resurrection. There is also only one of us. Have you ever pondered what one solitary, humble human life can do? Faith, not our world, tells us how special we are. We are not robots. We are not replaceable. We have one shot. There are no do-overs. Love is at our core and unites us together as one with the God of love who so desperately wants us to be with Him forever. This may not match our secular agenda, but it ought to make our true inner agenda leap for joy. There doesn’t need to be an end. I can live forever. Alleluia!

©LPi