What constitutes a life that pleases God?

Billygoat

It's an interesting question I came across with the new book I'm reading: The Reflective Life by Ken Gire. I had the privilege of meeting Ken a few years ago at a church retreat. He was a shy, quiet speaker, with a very unassuming presence. He has since become one of my favorite authors and writes about things that anyone can relate to, Christian or not. This latest book discusses how we miss so much every day by not reflecting on the day itself. How many opportunities we lose with our spouses/children/friends because we are too caught up in the busy-ness of the day. He mentions this world is full of Marthas distracted by our task lists and accomplishments. He also discusses how we can be more like Mary and create "pauses" in our lives that are powerfully enriching. The chapter I just finished reading had a portion in it that hit me like a brick wall. It specifically discusses love in our lives. I'd like to share. And I'd love any comments to be shared as well...

The Reflective Life

Portions of Chapter 5

The Cultivation of the Reflective Life

By Ken Gire

Being a writer who only writes, who doesn’t teach in a college or pastor a church, carries with it both a blessing and a curse. A curse, because it is often a lonely life filled with long hours of solitude. A blessing, for precisely the same reasons. My profession affords me large blocks of time with which to think, and for that I am thankful. As I’ve grown older, I’ve found a certain amount of anxiety creeps in to the thinking. You read cereal boxes, for example, not to find out what prize is inside but how much fiber. You start doing math with your food, trying to keep some kind of running total to know when you’ve hit your credit limit on fat calories. You start wondering [read “obsessing”] about little aches and pains you haven’t noticed before, and thumbing through the family medical guide to see if your symptoms match some horrible, unpronounceable disease for which there is no cure known to man.

What I’ve been thinking about late, and with a healthier sense of anxiety is this. What constitutes a life that pleases God? The closer I get to the end of my life, it seems the only question that matters. Is the life I am living pleasing to God?

The question will keep you up nights. And it should. As we pull the covers to our chin and settle into our pillow, that’s the question that should bring our day into the presence of God for His scrutiny. Did the life I lived today please you, God?

How many things do we have to check off on our to-do list before we can say yes to a question like that? How man questions do we have to count before we can be done with them all and drop off to sleep?

Only one.

Have I loved well?

When asked the secret of living the Christian life, Augustine replied: “Love God, and do as you please.” The thought of that is both liberating and confining. Liberating because it means we are free to do whatever we want. Confining because it means our love for God sets the boundaries of that freedom. It guides every thought, every action, every conversation. And it does so every minute of the day, every day of our life. Instead of a Byzantine complexity of laws to regulate the details of our life, we have only one. The love of God. When that is the heart of who we are, it changes what we do. And it changes something else. How we will be judged.

St. John of the Cross once said that “at the evening of our day we shall be judged by our loving.” As we look back over our day, what we have done is not as important as how we have done it. Better to do little with much love than much with little love. For without love, whatever we do will be dismissed with a judicial wave of heaven’s hand as just so many trivial pursuits. (1 Corinthians 12: 1–3)

So it’s the end of the day, and each of us is lying in our bed, reflecting. Have I loved well? Has love been the beating heart pulsing through all my activities? Can it be heard in all my conversations? Seen in my eyes? Felt when other people are in my presence? Was the truth I spoke today spoken in love? Were the decisions I made today based on love? Were my reactions? My devotions?

Have I love well?

If we can answer yes to that question, it is enough.

It may not be enough for our employer. It may not be enough for our fellow workers. It may not be enough for all the carpools and committees and other things on our calendar.

It may not even be enough for us.

But it is enough for God.

And that should make it enough for us.

Elsewhere

No, no, no.... you've got it alllllll wrong.... you have to do whatever the Watchtower tells you to do.

Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't, then Jehover won't hear your prayers any more, and you will be in rebellion against Jehover... like Korah, and deserving of death.

artful

Great post Billygoat!

Thank you for sharing this...it is very inspiring. He's right, at the end of the day when I'm lying in bed, what makes me personally feel most satisfied is when I have been generous in sharing my love with those around me.
Cheers
Artful

NewYork44M

If we appreciate that life is gift and enjoy life then everyone is happy, including god. God's happiness is not dependent upon us following some silly prescribed ritualistic existence.

LyinEyes

Great post , and interesting comments. I have started reading the Bible again, focusing on the New Testament right now , and Jesus words. My plan is to work at being the best person I can be according to the way that Jesus said we should be , especially in our dealings with others.

I have reflected over the many years I was a JW and how much I missed of the everyday little things. Even things with my children when they were younger, I didnt stop and smell the roses so to speak. I was so caught up in trying to make the meetings, study, etc. etc. Everything was too overwhelming and I was burnt out to say the least. Sometimes thou, I would sit outside late at night and talk to God looking into the heavens the stars and I felt great peace,,,,,,,,, I still do that. I found more happiness in my late nite sit outs , reflecting than I ever did inside the KH.

I do that so much more now, reflecting on the little things in life, and really listening to what others are saying and what my kids are doing everyday. Now I realize that life here on earth is so short, they will not be little forever and I want to soak it all in.

I also see things with such a clearer eye now, the beauty in creation, and even the things that are not pretty to look at,,,,,, I can put my heart into thinking about it all, like the war issue, people in other lands who will die because of it. I really try to think that each day is to be enjoyed and lived to the best to please God, because I think there will be a judgement day too. I want to not just please God because I want a good report, I mean that is important to me, but I want to live my life, to thank Him for giving me the chance at all the good things he promised. It is like wanting to please your Father, but no earthly father that will throw you away, but one who really does care. Sometimes it is hard to comprehend that the Almighty cares about each of us. I just don't feel worthy sometimes, but it is a comfort to think I can try and make Him proud of me.

LB

Insightful article. I have pondered those thoughts many times. But I recall the simple advice my mom gave me many years ago. I was a church going catholic boy and was as anal as Catholic as I was a dub. But when I bugged her about going to church she would ask me.

Did you make people smile or frown today son? God loves people that make others smile.

Satanus

But it is enough for God.

It's a nice article. It's a big improvement over wt or fundy christianity guilt tripping. Nevertheless, the idea that we could displease god, while generally being a force for good, can also be negative. For instance, muslims have a similar concern. Protestant, as well as catholic history also shows many negatives resulting from this doctrine. Would a diety of infinite love and infinite patience be displeased, ever?

Mystics make it a goal to unite w god. Jesus, as described in parts of the stories about him, is an example of one who understood god union. How would union w god affect one? One who realised the he/she was merged w god would not need to look to an outside source for guidance. And so, jesus went against the tides of his time, for he had his own internal vision, which no one else could see, or understand. He did what he pleased, for what pleased him pleased god.

Some other examples are some of the catholic saints. There are others too, but as a group, these are the easiest to use as examples.

Another thing, people like this ofteb don't fit in very well in their respective societies. They are not people pleasers.

SS

Satanus

They are also not perfect.

Navigator

Saint Satan

Excellent post! God is incapable of seeing us in any fashion other than in the perfection in which we were created. Good thing too! Regretably, we are all too capable of seeing ourselves less than perfect. I am reminded of the genesis account of Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden of Eden after they had "eaten the forbidden fruit". When God asked them why they were hiding, their response was "we were hiding because we were naked". God's response, "Who told you that you were naked?" are some of the most profound words in the bible and indicate a level of sophistication by the J source writer totally missed by those who insist on a literal interpretation. I am also reminded, as you are, of the millions slaughtered by those harboring some perverted notion of pleasing God.

What constitutes a life that pleases God?

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