"The given life"...I'm not sure who coined that phrase, but I'm quite sure it wasn't me. :) Hudson Taylor called it "the exchanged life", A.W. Tozer called it "the crucified life"...it's entirely possible that Eric Ludy is the first person I heard call it "the given life", but I don't really think he came up with the name, either. Regardless of its origin, it's a descriptive name I am coming to love more and more for the life I live.
Jonathan Edwards said, "I have been this day before God, and have given myself, all that I am and all that I have, to God; so that I am in no respect my own. I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me. Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own."
"I have given myself clear away."
That is the essence of this given life I live. But something I am learning day by day is that this given life is intensely practical. It is played out in every moment, every decision, every relationship, every thought, every feeling. Having "given myself clear away" to God, the natural result is that He would use me, pour me out, in giving of myself to or on behalf of others. The "given" part of the given life is not the giving of me or my resources to others, but the simple fact that I am already given completely to God.
I don't have words for the fullness of the realization that I am not my own. I have given myself completely to God; therefore, He has every right to use me, spend me, give me away, take my time and energy and emotion however He wants to! I don't get a say in the matter! My choice is made by choosing to be His; the rest is 100% up to Him. And I cannot begin to describe the sheer joy and utter peace this brings. I don't have to fret over decisions, large or small; I simply yield and follow. God chooses how my time is spent. God chooses where I invest my energy. God chooses what my emotions are spent on.
The sweet reality of this given life is that
God chooses.
But it's not just some crazy, out there notion in my head, either. It leads me in all kinds of practicalities. For example...
- I used to be SO okay with clutter and chaos. It simply did not faze me. Piles of stuff or clothes or paper everywhere, a room that looked like a tornado blew through--I was fine. I could work and rest and live in that environment with peace and even my own sort of efficiency. My stuff was "filed" in stacks, but I could find what I needed when I needed it!
But then...God put His finger on this area and aspect of my life with a simple declaration: "I am a God of order." Since He's choosing in my life, if He wants a clean, organized room and office (since those, really, are my only areas of jurisdiction), then that's what He gets. So I started going through things, getting rid of things, organizing things...it's still a work in process (please don't look in my loft right now), but the craziest part of the deal is how He's changed my heart and desires in this area. I now need the order and organization He is bringing into my life, though not in a "I can't function if things aren't just the way I want it" sort of way (because that is equally unhealthy). Rather, it's more of a "I need to do all in my power to order my surroundings in a way that reflects my God, who is a God of order" kind of way. :) - My natural tendency is to take a rather lackadaisical approach to life much of the time. (Side note: I looked up "lackadaisical" to make sure I was spelling it right, and here's one definition: "lazy or idle,esp in a dreamy way". Ummmm....yeah. Especially the dreamy way. Did I ever tell y'all the story of how my dad once stood and watched me wash the same plate for 10 minutes? I love to create my own little world, and then live in it.)This usually applies mostly to how I spend my free time, and the effort I put into relationships. Again, God has put His finger on this area of my life through reminding me that my time is His, and that people are of the utmost importance to Him. So, there are some things I've had to cut out of my life (movies, TV, games on my phone, etc...not because those things are inherently evil, but because they were absorbing pretty much ALL my "extra" time). This, of course, is also how I've managed to have time to organize my room...see, it all fits together!
I've also been working on being more intentional with my relationships...things like, getting up early in the morning to go play tennis or basketball with my brothers, or taking them out to breakfast sometimes on a Friday morning, or just learning to have real conversations with people instead of talking about things that simply don't matter in the long run.
Those are just a couple of examples of the practical realities God is leading me in as I seek to live out this given life...bottom line: He is SO good, and faithful, and amazing and I am loving the adventure of living a life that is given completely to Him!
One other note about that, though--something else I'm learning is that my definition of "completely" is being constantly advanced. When I was about 13, I gave my life "completely" to the Lord...but as the years go on, He continuously has to bring me back to His altar and show me things that I am holding back. So I give them to Him, and say again that I am "completely" His. But I'm pretty sure that as He keeps working in me, there will always be more to surrender.
Hey--that's part of the adventure!
(note: somehow, part way through this post, I accidentally hit some button that posted it. So to those of you that get it e-mailed to you...sorry! You might get it twice! :) )
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