I think for many, it’s relatively normal to accept (albeit, difficult) that one day our life will end. We have one life—just one—and when it’s over…it’s over. And here’s the truth: whether we know it or not, believe it or not, or agree with it or not, we will all—every single last one of us—stand before a Holy God who cannot be in the presence of sin. And that puts us all in a bit of a pickle. Because our very nature is to, well…sin. We are prone to wander. We are prone to run from Jesus, run from his loving and sanctifying work in us, and run from the race that is marked for us.
But for some of us, we don’t run from it. Some of us choose the harder choice…to run to it. Some of us run to the Lord. Some of us choose to run to Jesus, saying to him all the while, “who else do I have but you? Where else can I go, but to you?” And I will be honest with you, this is the harder choice. Running to Jesus forces us to accept that tragedy is going to happen, that pain is a guarantee, that the race will be rocky, and that not everything will be perfect all of the time.
That there will be seasons of wilderness, seasons of joy, seasons of brokenness, and seasons of hope. Running to Jesus reveals to us our own selves. Maybe when we thought we were “speaking truth”, it was actually just pride. Maybe when we thought we were justified in our actions, it was simply justifying sin or flying off the handle. Maybe when we thought we were rushing our kids for their good, we were actually just allowing our impatience to overtake our love.
When we run to Jesus, he gently and patiently, and with so much graciousness, shows us the true motives of our heart. He shows us the true reason for our actions and how we actually are: sinful and flawed people in desperate need of the merciful grace of a Savior.
And when we live our life like this? Well…
The race becomes worth it.
The brokenness becomes worth it.
The seasons of ups and downs, highs and lows, become worth it.
The sanctifying work of Jesus in our life, in our soul and in our character, becomes worth it.
The vulnerability and the “laid bare” feeling that comes from confession of sin, becomes worth it.
Why?
Because one day soon, we will see his face. And when we do, we will fall down before the mercy seat of a Holy and Righteous God. And when God sees us, here’s what we will have to show for our life here on earth: Jesus. That we ran to Jesus. That we embraced all that Jesus called us to embrace. That we embraced the wounds, the pains, the trials, the brokenness, the sanctification, the struggles, and the hardest part: running to Jesus (instead of away), messing up (again), and running back to Jesus.
Philippians 3:14 says, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
So here’s all I know: that one day I—with every wound, every crown, every trial, and every season—will be able to lay it all at the feet of Jesus and say, “It was worth it all, for the surpassing infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, and running toward Jesus with every breath.”
Worth It All | First15 Worship feat. Magen Thurman
