In addition to the diagram, after we die, our earthly bodies will be “eaten” up by decomposer and thus turns back into nutrients in soil. This is the cycle of life, based on our logical thinking and understanding. And it is also true. But my concern is more on what we do when we are living. You see, living a Christianity life is also a cycle and a chain reaction. I don’t know others, but I guess it should be similar. Anyway, a Christianity life starts by our creation from our Creator. God formed us into our SHAPE (remember the SHAPE?). And from there we grow and grow. Some will come back straight to God as soon as they are born because they are in a Christian family. Some will come to know Christ through people around him, for example me. And of course, as the Bible stated, it is after we are enabled by our heavenly Father to come back to Him.
But either way, in first person’s view, it is the beginning of the cycle. But as the word “cycle” suggested, it has no starting point. You can’t find a starting point in a circle, no? The question is like asking what comes first, chicken or egg? It is surely a tricky question, and it is my beliefs that most people (you, maybe?) fail to answer it, if you look at it only from 1st person view. This question is arguable matter. Both can be a strong argumentative point against another. But if you can just think out of the box, meaning, looking at it from another view, you’ll realize that it is neither chicken nor egg; it is God. Likewise, we all human started from God. God created us, and following by the “happening” in Garden of Eden, we became who we were until around 2000 years ago. Then Jesus came, telling us to repent and turn back from our current paths and start to walk back to our heavenly Father. It consists of 3 actions: stop, turn back, and start walking back to where you really belong – kingdom of heaven.
And when we believe in the Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, we are His followers and this marks the start of our new journey. After reading The Purpose Driven Life, we understood our 5 purposes in life:
1. We were planned for God’s pleasure – worship;
2. We were formed for God’s family – fellowship;
3. We were created to become like Christ – character building;
4. We were shaped for serving God – ministry;
5. We were made for a mission – discipleship through evangelism.
All five purposes are indeed included in the cycle, but my concern here is the 5th purpose – spreading the Good News. This is the point where the cycle about to take a change; the point where the chain reaction starts. It is the neutron in a nuclear fission.
This is the point where you become a neutron with a certain energy level, go to people and making impacts in their lives and energizes them. In other words, we tell other people about Jesus and the Gospel. Then we bring them to family of God and eventually become their mentor and starting to teach them about what we have known from our mentors, back to the point when the first mentor of the 12 disciples was Jesus. And when our mentees are ready, they carry out the same task as we do, becoming another new neutrons and completing their part in the chain reactions. And this is what life about: Making impacts on other people and helping people to come near to God. And we do these for God’s glory of course, not because of our selfish desires of seeking fame, our own glory, or creditability. And thus the cycle and the chain reaction continue, until the day when everyone who our Father wants them to hear about the Good News has heard It, then He will send Jesus back for us.
And here is a point to ponder. A lot people speculated Jesus’ return judging from what had happened to our earthly world – earthquakes, wars, famine, hunger etc. It is not a wise idea. Instead of plotting probability graphs and estimating timeline and making assumptions and decoding words about His return, we should look at ourselves instead. If He really comes tomorrow, are we ready to say, “Lord, I have done what you want me to do on the earth”? Or we give excuses telling Him that you know what you ought to do but you didn’t do it – it is a sin, by the way (James 4:17). Are you really ready by then?
By now you might say, “oh no~ Qi Hao starts to preach!” But to be honest, these were my thoughts about life: Life is a cycle and a chain reaction. To look into a closer range of sight, I started off the book Purpose Driven Life because my mentor asked me to read. And I still remembered how long it was staying at my bookshelf untouched. The commitment started mostly because it was asked by my mentor. But after the first chapter, it switched 180° to God. Then Stephanie came and we read the book together and kept each other motivated through online discussions. Then came a friend from Brazil who speaks none of the language that I can understand – not even English. She chatted with me in Portuguese and I replied with English. It was surely a hard time translating and understanding her words but I’m glad because we keep each other motivated to continue to read the book. And then I knew more people reading the book and we keep each other with strong faith to hold on to the promise. To be honest, temptations and trails came so often and for quite number of times I almost fall for them. I nearly missed reading the book. Internet down, not-in-home-to-read-the-book problems, busyness, outdoor activities, Church on Sundays… But in the end, I realized the significance behind 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says:
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
From this verse I learned that no temptations can bring you down.
1. It is like when you are jogging; you know how far you still have to go. But think again about how far you have gone and apply this verse into it. Think about what lies for you after you stand up against the temptation, for this case, tiredness and to stop running. It is all about perseverance. And what was said about perseverance in James?
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-3
2. It can also be used to practice your time management. You are tempted to do something else, forgetting your promise to read the book. But you can’t break the promise to read it every day. It’s your promise to God, if you want to make it seriously. It somehow shaped you a lifestyle to pray to God every morning. Pray to God that He will be the master of your house and the shepherd of you, little sheep. And you will start to plan your time. You know Sundays you will spend time at church. Can’t find a time to read? Think again. What can you do when you are on your way to church? What are you doing when you are in train, car, bus, or whatever? Those are the time when you can allocate your book-reading time into it. The most important thing is that, are you really wanted to put effort into the book? Or you are only giving excuses for your failure in time management? For me, I took it as my first real promise with God, and I made sure I kept my promise no matter what. Even when you are going out for a trip – I was in trip to Eglofs. I brought the book along, instead of leaving it in my comfort room. There are always ways to do a thing when you really putting efforts into it. People said, “When there is a will, there is a way,” no?
These are some of what I have learned from the past 6 months that I would like to share with you through the book. Of course, what I learned from Purpose Driven Life is not only what is stated inside Purpose Driven Life. When you look at your life, understand your life, and you will see much more than just a life.
Vincent
p/s: Credits to the owner(s) of the pictures attached.
