Waiting For My Abundant Life

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10

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In my freshman year of college at Roberts Wesleyan, this verse was written on a banner that hung on our chapel stage for the entire year. It was the verse of the year, the theme for our chapel services, and over time, it became engrained in me that God had not only come to give me life, but to give me life abundant! And what was I going to do with it? We were challenged to take hold of our full life, and live it, doing something great. 

I was taking my first baby steps into adulthood, had the whole world at my fingertips, and so I remember this verse really inspiring me, and I remember thinking: 'Surely God has something amazing waiting for me!' I was so excited to see what it was. 

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I hate to admit this, but sometime after graduation, and entering the real world, I think this expectation began to fade. The monotony of normal living had set in: routines, bills, life problems, work stress, boredom. There wasn't anything wrong with my life, per say, but it certainly didn't feel anything as grand as 'abundant!' I was just living a normal life, like everyone else, and for some reason, the feelings I had about my 'full life' fell flat in comparison to my big dreams from college. 

I remember thinking that I must have the word 'abundant' mixed up with 'mediocre', because that's what I felt. 

So after taking a few paths to get me in the right direction of my promised life, I began to chase my dream of being a wedding photographer. I read wedding blogs all day, followed big time photographers, learned business techniques, practiced shooting, and began building a client base. I focused on my work, determined that my abundant life was still within reach, and I was going to claim it at last. 

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I chased that dream for a while, until one day, God told me my life was going to look very different than anything I'd ever dreamed or imagined, and that my abundant life was going to come in a very different package than what I had originally been looking for. 

My abundant life walked into my life in the form of a 31 year old widower with 2 daughters, ages 8 & 9. Very different than any of my dreams for sure, but exactly what my heart needed. 

At first, I told God: "Are you sure? Are you sure this is what I've been waiting for? Are you sure I'm the one you want doing this? Are you sure about this, what if I can't handle this?" But God answered: "Yes, I'm sure", and 6 months later, I said: "I do", and started living out my new life with Andrew. My new abundant life. 

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Looking back, I can see that my interpretation of having a full life was probably misinformed. My college chaplain had painted this picture in my mind of riches and glory, but that wasn't at all what God had promised. 

When looking at the original meaning of the word "abundant", the Forerunner
Commentary says this: 

"...The Greek word Jesus uses in John 10:10 to describe the kind of life He came to teach His disciples is perissón, meaning "superabundant," "superfluous," "overflowing," "over and above a certain quantity," "a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate." In short, He promises us a life far better than we could ever envision…" 

But he takes it further by examining the word "life": 

"…Before we begin to have visions of palatial homes, classic automobiles, around-the-world trips, and wads of pocket money, we need to step back and consider what God says comprises "life." Once we determine His view of living, we will have a better grasp of what kind of blessings we can expect as Christ's disciples. All we need to do is glance around at our and our brethren's situations to know that wealth, prestige, position, and power in this world are not high-priority items on God's list of blessings (I Corinthians 1:26-29). In terms of economic, academic, and social strata, most of us come from the lower and middle classes, and we tend to remain in a situation similar to the one in which we were called (compare I Corinthians 7:20-24). Perhaps the most telling biblical definition of life - particularlyeternal life - is uttered by Jesus Himself in John 17:3: "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Note that this definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, occupation - in fact, the only thing it does mention is knowing God!…"

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I now understand that living a full life doesn't have anything at all to do with having "stuff" or even money in the bank. But rather, life is about loving our God, and letting His love flow out of us, into the relationships around us: into our families, into our friendships, into our daily interactions. 

Abundant life comes from knowing Jesus, and living happily in the life He's given you. It comes from being thankful for our Savior, and living in the freedom that knowing Christ allows. 

All those years through college, and after, I spent chasing a promise I never even properly understood. All the while, I was missing my abundant life, surrounding me right where I was, in the very blessings that God had already placed in my life. 

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Sometimes I think, as Christians we chase after something that we think God wants for us. We claim a verse as our own, and we run with it, convinced God has that in mind for us. But maybe like me, you need to give up your version of the life you think God wants for you, and accept the one you're living in. Perhaps your abundant life is surrounding you right now, and you don't even see it. 

Take a moment to look around you today, and take note, because God's blessings are everywhere.