How Will I Live? Life’s Most Important Reflection

Waking moment to our final conscious gasp before we lapse into our dream world: the question prevails on many strata: “How will I live?”

Whether it’s a moment’s decision – turn left or right, go up or down – or a philosophical crossroad arrived at, we are continually asking and answering this question. We are never so uncommitted as to be neutral.

We make ethical and moral decisions by the very function of our humanity immersed in the world. And this situation boils itself down into the reduction that, if we are not for Jesus we are against him.

We live for his heart in matters or we don’t. But such a philosophical ethic of life is antithetical to a black ‘n’ white reality of life.

This is precisely why we cannot work our way into the Kingdom, nor maintain our righteousness by the disposition of our hearts. We are wrecked without grace.

But even if we cannot help ourselves we are still required to try. We must still ask ourselves, “How will I live... this moment... this hour... this day... my life?”

God requires us to ask such a question implicitly and matter-of-factly. By our choices we answer him who has hardwired the question into our minds and moulded such a question into our hearts.

We cannot go through life thinking nothing is important. Every moment has an eternity’s significance, yet many moments we will still get horribly wrong – all of which is forgiven. But the moment we take forgiveness for granted we lose the spiritual perspective with which will give our lives ornate meaning.

“How will I live my life?”

What choice will I make this moment, for that choice will be a mere caricature for the outworking of our character, for any of it will be indefensible in the court of truth.

Our choices become facts of experience in ours and others’ lives.

Like our thoughts will inform our attitudes, which will in turn motivate our actions, our choices will prove truth true by their consequences.

“How will I live my life?”

“Do I need to change in any way?”

Lived before God, our lives are the siren screaming into eternity.

Whether we believe in God or not this fact remains – what we do we do. What we do cannot be undone, except for the grace of God that more than allows for our humanity.

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Living is a choice, as is every action of volition and, indeed, every inaction. When we accept this fact we are equipped to move forward.

© 2015 S. J. Wickham.