When our family was in the middle of a protracted move to a new city, I noticed my husband had written a little note on his map of the city. It said, “Make a life worth living.” The juxtaposition of the note and the roadmap, to me, was striking. Though the map provided directions to many locations that we’d no doubt find useful, it couldn’t give us directions leading to a worthwhile life.
Don’t we all desire a life worth living—one that is rich with meaning, purpose, and satisfaction? While there’s no shortage of well-meaning advice on the subject of finding personal fulfillment, much of it centers on the exercise of human will. But when you’ve already expended your best efforts to find fulfillment without gaining the desired results, this advice can be discouraging. A different kind of map is needed.
Nearly two thousand years ago, God gave us the roadmap to a life worth living—the only one we’ll ever need—in His Son, Christ Jesus. In an age that was grappling with issues not unlike the ones we face today, Jesus showed the world that the way to a better life was through a spiritual life centered in God. Jesus revealed God, Love, as the all-powerful, ever-active, unshakable, benevolent source that grounds our lives. Through his own life, he mapped out the richness of a life that mirrors the power and love of God.
