Your Story is Freedom

A good friend emailed me the following quote today, from Henri J. Nouwen:

“We spend most of our lives trying to make things happen for ourselves and for people we love. But life is not reduced to what you give or know or achieve. Nor is it reduced to your mistakes, your failures, or your sin. Life isn’t even defined by whom you love. Rather, it is defined by the God who loves you. In other words, you are not the central character — not even of your own life’s story. This is not meant to demean you; it is meant to set you free.”

I think Mr. Nouwen is absolutely correct. All that we say, think, act, and feel will glorify us or glorify God. If we aim to glorify ourselves, we will not live a life of freedom. We will live a life of bondage. At some point in our lifetime, if not often in our lifetime, we will ask ourselves, “Why am I doing what I’m doing? What is the point of all this? Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? Did I make a mistake?” We will be shackled by doubt and fear and anxiety.

The freedom in living life to glorify God comes from the fact that God is holy – he is perfect in every way. When we say, think, act, and feel for God, we experience a satisfaction that comes from one who is perfect, and can therefore perfectly satisfy. We are free from doubt and fear and anxiety, and are instead filled with hope, peace, and thanksgiving.

So what does this have to do with the theme of this blog – reflections on finding and pursuing work that matters? Well, it means we are free to pursue work that we want to pursue – with one exception: may it be work that makes us more like Jesus. Kevin DeYoung, in his book Just Do Something, says it well:

“He wants you to buy a house that will make you holy. If you marry, He wants you to get married so you can be holy. He wants you to have a job that will help you grow in holiness. So go marry someone, provided you’re equally yoked and you actually like being with each other. Go get a job, provided it’s not wicked. Go live somewhere in something with somebody or nobody. But put aside the passivity and the quest for complete fulfillment and the perfectionism and the preoccupation with the future, and start making some decisions in your life. If you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be in God’s will, so just go out and do something. Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want, and go where you want, for God’s glory.”

Freedom is not easy; it comes with a price. But the good things, the very best things, are worth the price. May you taste the freedom God has for you in your story.