March 30, Holy Saturday ~ Giving Up My Life
- wendybrussel
- Mar 30, 2024
- 2 min read
Giving Up My Life
It is Holy Saturday. Our final day to give up something. What a journey we have been on these past 40 days. We have given up (or tried to) so many things that weigh us down or redirect our thinking. We have examined things that take our attention off the things that matter (SQUIRREL!!). We have considered what actions (and inactions) derail our hearts away from God’s.
Today, we are to give up our life. After all, that is what Jesus did. He gave up his life so that we might live. Jesus’s life was a perfect example of how we are to live: selflessly, fully engaged and focused on relieving pain and suffering. We are called to look out for the downtrodden, the forgotten, and society’s outcasts. We are to be an inclusive people of hope, of promise, and faith, but we are not to do that alone. We must give up ourselves and our personal agendas to realize all that God has in store for us (remember the old saying, we plan…God laughs). God wants to bless us and bless us abundantly but we must take this sacred journey and hold it near our hearts.
Spend today reflecting on your 40-day journey. If you journaled during this study, look over your writings. If you didn’t, now might be a good time to start. Where are you in your faith journey today? Are you ready to take some chances, step outside your comfort zone, and find the holy magic that is life in Christ? Claim all that is promised to us in Matthew 16:24-28.
Then Jesus said to his followers, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. 25 Those who want to save their lives will give up true life, and those who give up their lives for me will have true life. 26 It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. They could never pay enough to buy back their souls. 27 The Son of Man will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, he will reward them for what they have done. 28 I tell you the truth, some people standing here will see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom before they die.”
Today is the memorial for a dear friend and mentor over the years. She modeled giving of her very life to Christ. This is an opportunity (I call them ADOGs: another difficult opportunity for growth). I want to follow her example as one who lives a sacrificial and blessed life.
I am reminded of Jim Eliot's saying, "He is no fool to give up when he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." It has been a wonderful journey!