The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates
I remember talking to my Dad at one point, and asked him for some wisdom. Straight up, I wanted something he wanted us to remember. It was pretty simple – He told me the value of taking one step back to take two steps forward.
Now I imagine I’ve shared this to a lot of people – I’ve told them about it, and I’ve written it down more than once… But right now I’m thinking I misinterpreted it a little too much. Too many times I’ve hesitated, and interpreted this as me applying Dad’s wisdom. I held off on making so many decisions and called it me taking one step back.
On the other hand, I think I applied it well, in that it’s reminded me not to go forth recklessly. It’s not that I take a step back, but I stop on taking the first step, in order for me to do my homework. And here’s where I see that it’s not just me but my brothers who learned this, especially in our decisions to invest – research, research, and research even some more, just so that you have a lesser chance of failure and a bigger chance of succeeding.
Why am I sharing all of this? I feel there is a need for each and every one of us to establish our identity – In a personal level, at least – because it’s inevitable that those that we lead, or at least those that have subscribed to our influence would derive some of their own identity from us. And as I’m typing that, I’m reminded of what a responsibility it is to have any influence in the first place.
There was a time that I told myself that I would never be the Dad I had… and now that I think about it, I feel as if this was both unfortunate and fortunate for me to say. Unfortunate, because that was a very shortsighted thing for me to say, and fortunate because that same statement actually sealed the opposite – In enough ways, I do notice my actions, reactions, and responses are actually just like my Dad’s.
I feel that in the coming days, I would probably be helping myself in refining my identity by way of consulting my father’s memories, and the current actions of my of mother and my brothers (who I am blessed to still have) – if only to ensure that I am aware of what influence I leave, and to be detailed in the impact I want to give.
For the longest time I’ve hated how people I’m connected to or acquainted with were so fixated and intentional on leaving their legacies. I saw their passion as narcissism, until I’ve come to realize that it’s not so much the effort we place on our own legacies, but the intentions we have further behind it all; I’ve learned through these people, how real the temptation is for all of us to leave a legacy in the name of controlling how we want to be remembered.
Recently I’ve learned that there are better intentions to building our legacy – Not as much how we would be known or remembered, but for the value we leave upon others. If it means we need to take a step back to question our intentions, then I feel that is wise.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:21-26
A lot of folks I’ve been in touch with recently have lamented on how their lives have amounted to nothing but failure. Some have had the unfortunate experience of having their own parents tell them this, directly or indirectly. Some have also told me of how they assess their own lives and come to that conclusion on their own – apparently we could either generate the weight of burdens in the present, and/or condemn ourselves of the mistakes of the past, amplifying consequences to the point that we make them so far-reaching, that consequences from circumstances other folks have moved on from years or decades ago would tear into our minds to this day. I could also imagine how we could literally paralyze ourselves – if not by our past or present, but by the fear of the future. Personally, even if I do know the value of one step back, and of doing homework, there’s also the tendency to overanalyze, and overthink, to the point that we don’t realize that by our hesitation, we’ve actually taken fifteen steps back.
But here we see something of value from Paul’s words to the church at Philippi – A reminder, for all of us in the body of Christ: To live is Christ.
It’s not, ‘To live WILL BE Christ’ – nope. We have Christ as our Life here and now. The way I see it, we’ve merely been existing till the moment we gave into the Holy Spirit bringing us to choose Christ… and at the moment we gave even the smallest consideration to who Christ is and what He has done, the moment we believed, we chose Christ, and we chose Life. We’ve moved from existing to really living. With that said, we could switch that, too, to say ‘To Christ is live’ – if that makes sense. I mean to point out, Christ is Life, and our Life is Christ. No Christ, no Life; No Life, no Christ.
Hemingway said, “In order to write about life first you must live it.” And friends, I suppose that those of us in the body of Christ may try to hide it in their words, but seeing as Christ’s finished work has had us so reconciled to God, and so united and so connected to Christ that He is, as Paul says, our literal Life, it could not be avoided – We live Christ, and therefore if we would write, we write about Christ.
And sure, we may come up or encounter all sorts of slogans along the way, to say that real life is found in success, or you only feel alive when you win. WWE CEO Vince McMahon once quoted while in character, ‘Life sucks, and then you die.’ But the good news for all of us in the body of Christ is this – You look deep into your own lives enough, past the heights of success and through the hidden regrets and the most painful of failures, and you will see what’s in common for us all – Christ IS our Life, present in victory and defeat, present in escalated circumstances or irritating boredom.
Paul says that to live is Christ, and to die is gain. What this means to me is that we have celebrate Christ and we celebrate Life as we exist in this reality (‘To live is Christ’), and from the perspective of eternity, we lose nothing, but gain everything as we pass on (‘to die is gain’).
I suppose it was necessary for me to include this verse, because it sets the tone for the rest of Paul’s words. The way I see it, he goes on to express how he understands how this reality is so broken, that he wishes to ‘depart’ for His entire being to be with Christ… But today I’m reminded, as he states, that it’s no longer for ourselves that we remain in this world (or ‘in the flesh’ as he states); no, our existence in this reality is more for ‘your account’ – ‘your’, I’m assuming, being the church in Philippi. He presses on, not for himself, but for the body of Christ – and who knows who else the Holy Spirit would bring to the saving grace of Christ, through his continued remaining?
I think that’s the same case with all of us. If we’re to talk about any sort of legacy we leave, it shouldn’t be for our own glory – and while that’s stating the obvious for some of us, might I remind us (and myself, really) to take a look at the rest of what Paul says – We stay, and we build our legacy’ we remain, and we continue, for the ‘progress and joy in the faith’ of those within our care.
Let’s not limit our minds to ourselves. Christ has set us free by way of securing us – He literally GAVE us Life by BEING our Life. This is an eternal and everlasting Life that endures above all else; not separate from us, it’s a Life that is present and is infused into all of our being! Take that in – Paul did not say ‘To move’, or ‘To exist’, or ‘To learn’, or ‘To breath’, ‘To walk’, ‘To rest’… No, friends, I feel as if he wanted us to appreciate that we have been saved so greatly, that Christ is fully present and projected in every aspect of our existence – whether they be perceived as positive or negative, no matter how big or small, Christ is seen in our entire being, and in our entire existence – ‘To live is Christ’!
To live is Christ, indeed – but don’t be surprised if you see how this implies that as He lay His life down for us, so we are willing and able to give more of ourselves to others – that they, too, may have ‘ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus’. We talk about impact… but I feel as if it’s Christ’s Life and Light in us that is seen, more than our own efforts in theatrics and appeals to emotion – as we live, it’s Christ who shines, that all may see His goodness.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, I pray that we continue to appreciate Christ. If it requires us to take some time, I feel as if the end more than justifies the means. To take a step back to take it all in propels us so far forward that there wouldn’t make much sense for us to measure it in steps. In the moments we find ourselves weary of helping others, let us remind ourselves of Christ – not merely helping us, but understanding all the details in all our circumstances, and responding according to His everlasting glory and eternal grace; Let us remind ourselves that we HAVE Christ, and we HAVE Life to see us through, as we help ourselves, and others.
And when we see and believe and appreciate how Christ is our Life, I wouldn’t be surprised if we come to the conclusion that Christ is also our Legacy. If we are to be remembered, let those who remember us, remember Christ – and may they remember Christ, not in what glory we gave ourselves, but in the value we gave in others.
As the song goes, May the footprints that we leave, Lead them to believe. Amen.
I didn’t think I’d go this long in today’s tirade – In fact, I think I was more babbling than anything else as I started this. I guess I’m reminded, that you just have to keep on writing – eventually, you run into treasure. Indeed, you dig long enough and deep enough, and you will find Jesus.
As always, I thank you for your time, dear reader. God bless you.
Until the next post, may grace and peace abound in and through you.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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