Life: Give It Up To Save It

I like this picture. It reminds me of all the floating and flying in Mary Poppins. Today I want to talk about life in Christ. This pic seems fitting and stirs my imagination. Come with me for a bit.

I imagine this woman as any one of us, tethered to life on the ground. She’s yielded to a pretty strong balloon that’s lifted her into an adventure. Up, up, and up she goes!

What do we justify as our tethers to earthly and carnal consciousness? What do we allow to keep us grounded so we do not have to surrender to being lifted? I have a few things…my plans, for one.

There is a wonderful saying of Jesus in Mark 8:35. “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it” (NLT).

Wow, right? There’s the “opposites thing” in the Kingdom of God again. We want to LIVE — to experience the abundant life in Christ with bravery, boldness, and our faith intact. We want to see in our lifetimes the promises of God that are yes and amen. We want to see our faith in tangible ways: answered prayers to healing, miracles, the right mates, the best jobs, proof that our obedience is worth it.

The catch? This life we want God to create and manifest for us is not done our way, but His. He has a plan for our lives and we get to participate. There is much we determine on the journey; we are not robots. But the will, the oversight… that’s all Him. Let’s look again at what tethers us, and let’s hold it up to the opportunities to be lifted. Then let’s take a deep breath or four, and give up our lives to the Father. Let’s save our lives. Let’s find our lives on the adventure in Christ. Y’all, we can do it.

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Dr. Shaunta Scroggins is the founder and curator of The Bereans’ Commentary.