“Then He (Jesus) called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:34-37)
As our busy lives roll from one day to the next, packed to the brim with work, family and all manner of to-dos, it’s easy to become entrenched in the belief that it all revolves around us. That not only is our life centered around our own happiness, but it depends on us to keep moving … until we can’t.
We find ourselves driven by self-interest and our own schedule, whether we are conscious of it or not. Or, perhaps more common for those who have grown up in the church, we are consumed by trying to get everything done for the ultimate goal of serving others. God’s Word says we are to die to ourselves — namely, our self-interest — every day. As believers, our lives are no longer our own. Scripture says in 1 Peter 1:18-20, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
We are but a microscopic piece in the grand scheme of God’s story. BUT He cares about us individually because we are His. 1 Peter 5:7 directs us, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” Remembering that our lives are not our own will serve us well in our careers, as well as bring us peace, knowing that no achievement or zeroed-out inbox will ever do what Jesus has already done for us, and that those things pale in comparison to His glory. Armed with this truth, we press onward to the calling He’s given us, understanding that our day-to-day is not all about us — but all about Him. Take some time to make sure you’re navigating your day in a way that is more representative of Christ.