Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Those words sum up what life in a sinful world is like: full of things that shouldn’t have been, or could’ve or would’ve been, if only …
Years ago my father told me finding peace in life consisted of learning to tell the difference between the way things should be and the way things are, and accepting the latter. I often struggle with that.
I struggle with that because my father was only half-right — there is a difference between the way things should be and the way things are, but I should not accept that. I should instead strive for the way things should be in my own life, and that means I should strive for Jesus Christ. In Christ, everything is as it should be.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that life always works out the way the Christian wants it to. In fact, the case could be made that life is actually harder and less fair for those who follow Jesus. The Christian knows what the true standard is for how things should be in God’s creation, and feels guilty over his or her own sinful contribution to the world’s failure to reach that standard.
Not only that, but the world aims for a much lower standard, and will even try to prevent us from reaching higher. It attempted to prevent Jesus when it nailed Him to a cross, and Jesus promises that it will attempt to prevent His followers too:
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
Jesus lost His life to pay for the world’s sin. Having found new life on Easter, He is risen from the dead to restore all who follow Him to life eternal. Those of us who follow Jesus have the guilt of our sins forgiven, and we are assured of our own resurrection from the dead when Jesus comes again.
Holy Baptism serves as our guarantee of that (Romans 6:3-5), as well as Holy Communion with Jesus’ body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16). The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has restored things to again be as they should be as, in Jesus Christ, life has conquered death and creation has become again good.
That goodness belongs to all who are in Christ, as St. Paul says: “If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Paul also says: “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21a).
In the world, we have trouble, as sin rears its ugly head to drag us all down into death. In Christ, sin is forgiven and death is overcome. Christ is risen, and He promises that all who are in Him will rise to live with Him forever. In Christ, life conquers death. In Christ, everything is as it should be.
Dan O’Connor is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Greenfield. This weekly column is written by local clergy members. Send comments to dr-editorial@ greenfieldreporter.com.
