I was just listening to the new MercyMe CD–my only CD purchase in the past year–and there is one line in the song “Where I Belong” that really spoke to me. It says:

“Everybody tries
To find the purpose for their life
In hopes that one more day is justified

But once you truly see
The very reason why you breathe
It becomes so much more than getting by.”

That line makes me think back to my high school and college days before I became a Christian. My life was just about getting by. Back then, the lyric that triggered these feelings was from Amy Hit the Atmosphere by Counting Crows. The line said:

“There has to be a change I’m sure
Today was just a day fading into another
And that can’t be what a life is for.”

Humans want meaning! We want purpose! We want someone or something that will give us something to live for, to tell us that our lives are not for nothing and we’re not just wasting our time here.

As I was pondering how my life was before I became a Christian and after, I realized that there are still moments in my walk with God when it feels like I’m just getting by. I’m bracing myself as I go to work for another long, restless day. I brace myself for another tension-filled evening with Travis. I stop thinking about how hard it is to be in Colorado, away from my friends and family who I miss so dearly.

As I was getting in the Word this morning during breakfast, Psalm 97:11 caught my attention. It says:

“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.”

Joy is sown for believers. We get joy. It comes standard with the salvation package. The Lord knows that I need reminders like this–like Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Psalm 97:1 “God rules: there’s something to shout over!”

More than all that, we get joy IN GOD. He is our exceeding joy (Psalm 43:4) and our refuge (Psalm 62:7). He is our praise, our glory, our righteousness, and most importantly, our hope.

“And now, O Lord for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:11

So when those days that seem to never end come, or when it seems that there is no limit to my sinfulness, I can turn away from my circumstances and self to the Perfect One, my Redeemer. In Him, I find hope that my life has meaning. In Him, I find joy in being where I am, doing what I’m doing. Like Zane Black said today in chapel, God has it all planned out–we just need to walk in it.

So I praise you Lord for giving our lives meaning, for revealing what our purpose on earth is…and for making our days about more than just getting by.

I haven’t done this in a while…I’ve just been running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Here’s a recap of everything I’ve done since my last blog post:

1. Went skiing the past 3 Saturdays in a row.

2. Ran 7 miles, then 8, then 9 the past 3 Sundays.

3. Went to the final regular season game between the Avs and the Wild.

4. Went to the Frozen Four–two games last Thursday (4/10) and one on Saturday.

5. Went out to eat at a mongolian grill and then to a wine tasting with a couple from church.

Add to that all the craziness of work and daily life and it has been one busy month! So that’s why I’ve been lax on the blogging.

Here’s a highlight from the past month: My understanding of the Gospel is increasing. I feel like I fell back to the bottom of the ladder of Gospel understanding. I had been a couple rungs off the ground but the past couple months, I was lying flat on my back at the bottom, so out of it I wasn’t even sure there was a ladder. I just had–and am still kind of having–a really hard time grasping the impact of the gospel. I could tell you what the gospel IS but I couldn’t say what it DOES. The effect of the gospel on a human being is mysterious and complicated. And awesome. I guess I’ve been trying to take off the packaging and look at the gears so I could figure out how it worked.

I’ve come a little bit closer to understanding how that works. Here’s my journal entry from this morning:

“When we GET the gospel, when we truly understand God’s love for us, we are able to love and serve selflessly and humbly…because we are LOVED…Boasting in Jesus, His death and resurrection, is boasting in the Gospel. It’s boasting in the love of the Father for me, a sinner. It’s boasting in the fact that I am nothing apart from Christ, that He makes me what I am, and I live in daily dependence on His grace and mercy. It’s boasting that I HAVE A SAVIOR! Boasting in the Gospel naturally eliminates boasting about myself and my accomplishments or anything worldly. Like Paul writes in Galatians 6:14–’But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.’

“The Gospel eradicates our need for the world. We are already loved. We already have a secure future. Our desires have already found their satisfaction. We are already validated as human beings. We already have a purpose.

“THESE are the effects of the Gospel that enable us to live humble, selfless, generous lives. This is what allows me to turn the other cheek, to return good for evil, to be patient and gracious in the midst of anger and hostility. Make it REAL to me God! I want to SEE the Gospel transform my life!”

I know the Christian life is one of constant learning. I just didn’t know that I would have to keep learning the same basic stuff over and over again. But I’m seeing it like I have never seen it before. It’s fresh. And exhilarating. And amazing.

Our God is amazing.