For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. – Romans 8:29-30
Sometimes life just seems a bit blah. There’s nothing particularly difficult or bad happening, but neither does it feel like there’s anything very good or exciting in the mix. There’s a sameness to the days and the shape of your weeks. Time rolls on, but you don’t feel like you’re making any progress. You’re stuck in a rut. Conventional worldly wisdom might suggest that you change your routine, pick up a hobby, go on holiday, change your relationship status, try a new career. Anything to change your circumstances and bring some change and excitement to your life. Take up pottery! Try Zumba! Marie Kondo your home! That will give you new energy, lift the weight that you feel, and put you on a new track. Except that new track will soon wear into a new rut.
What is going on when we feel this way? It happens to both Christians and non-Christians from time to time. I think we feel this way when we lose track of our purpose in life, or if the purpose we have set for ourselves isn’t fulfilling us as expected. We lose momentum, we lose motivation and life feels drab.
If you’re feeling this way, it may be worth considering what you are living for. Even if you are a Christian, this may be an indication that you are orienting your life at something other than God. And if you’re a Christian, the answer doesn’t lie in changing your circumstances, it is about reminding yourself of the truth. Dear Christian, your life has meaning and purpose. God saw you in His mind’s eye in eternity past and set His love on you and gave you a destiny with Him. In love, He called you and awakened you to know Him and to know His love for you. He justified you and His love is propelling you to glory. Your life is not devoid of meaning. You are not aimlessly shuffling papers and waiting in line and grocery shopping and chauffeuring. Everything that God has allowed into your life – the good, the bad and the boring – He is working together for your good and ultimate glory. He has not left you to make shift for yourself and figure out your own way. His love will not leave you standing in place. It will take you Home.
Right now, we live between justification and glory, and there are daily challenges. It is often difficult to see the point of all that happens. Why was it necessary to be stuck in the drive thru for 20 minutes? Why is Centrelink routinely frustrating? Why does nothing remain clean? It seems all well and good to talk about the “big” joys and sufferings as having an impact on our sanctification, but what of all these daily frustrations and niggles? These “small” things can reveal more about the true state of our hearts than how we handle major issues because our responses are mostly unthinking. Whatever is in our hearts comes out. And when we do begin to pay attention to them, they are a way that we can exercise and grow our patience, our kindness (including Centrelink employees), our other-centredness, our humility, our gentleness.
If you are a child of God, you can look back and know that He saw you and chose you, called you and justified you, and you can look forward and know that He will glorify you. His love has powered your life and given you meaning and purpose and direction. You know what you are here for and where you are going. You might forget it, but it doesn’t make it untrue. Remind yourself. Remind others. Keep your eyes fixed on the glory that is to come and be moved by the power of His love.
Prayer focus:
- Praise God that He has given us meaning and purpose and direction.
- Pray that we would be aware of the “small” daily ways in which we can keep being sanctified.
- Pray that we would orient our lives towards the destiny God has for us, rather than towards earthly things.
