A Life that Counts for Something

I have a 7 year old son. He is one of three kids. They are the great treasures of my life. I find myself praying, “God would you work so powerfully in my children’s life that their lives are going to count for something beyond their years.” As a follower of Christ, I want my life to matter. We are all born with a desire to make a difference and live a life that counts for something. The “something” has to be more than material possessions, power or prestige. When I became a parent, 20 years ago, my perspective about a “life that counts for something” changed drastically. Suddenly seeing a child and the responsibility of raising this young person into someone brilliant added texture, depth and immeasurable richness to the unfolding idea, “live a life that counts for something.” Now the “something” was tangible. It cried. It laughed. It gripped my heart. It kept me up at night praying, worrying, celebrating, dreaming……… Now, I’m at an age where I have enough of “life” behind me that I have learned something about living this journey in a manner worthy of my calling. What I have learned can be summed up, in what I call, the “Triangle of Reformation.”

A person whose “life that counts for something” has passionate spirituality, radical community and missional zeal. You can summarize it as UP, IN & OUT. How does your life reflect these divine hungers within the human soul? UP asks “Why am I here?” IN asks “Am I accepted? Am I loved?” OUT asks “What’s the purpose of my life? What can I do to make someone else’s life a little better?” These questions are not taught to us by our parents. No, these values are hardwired into our being by a divine creator, who knows that a fulfilled life is one that lives in all 3 directions. The questions our parents ask us and the values they teach us, simply provide fuel and structure to the divine embers already burning within us. Over the next several blog entries I want to share with you what I believe it means to live in the “Triangle of Reformation” and in so doing, at the end of our days, we can look back and see that our “life counted for something” for more than possessions, power or prestige. It actually influenced the lives of other people….God’s most treasured possession.

*note: Triangle of Reformation is original to Mike Breen and the team. You can find their website here.