Life must be understood backward. But it must be lived forward.
- Kierkegaard
when i think about these words of wisdom, i am struck by the fact that Kierkegaard was himself a Christian existentialist. a seemingly oxymoronic place to be, and yet he validated himself through God, with a faith that was built on a philosophy of life.
after all, he reasoned. what was life but a series of choices? and these choices rested cleary in our own hands. our faith was ultimately based on our own decisions in life, regardless of how much help we could get from above.
the pressure seems rather large. evangelical christianity today is often misleading, perhaps inclined to think that everything we do can be done only by God (or converesely, blamed on God).
so often, i think we forget about the part where God works with us -- and focus too much on the idea that God can only work in us. God as an external factor, as opposed to a living God, transforming us through our own decisions and guiding us on our paths, instead of merely shoving us down a waterslide.
life is full of regrets, missed opportunities, and life altering decisions. one fork in the road is enough to alter your entire course.
to live forward than -- to recognize all these regrets and mistakes and not dwell on them...to have the courage to make your next choice without fearing another mistake -- that's life. that's living forward.
what's more, living forward is simply another word for faith. believing your decisions -- discernment included -- are the right ones, even if they initially feel impossible. believing you can overcome even when you think you can't. believing God is real based on your past, even when it doesn't seem like it right now.
sometimes you just have to stop moping, and just grind it out.
sometimes you just gotta have a little bit of faith.
- Kierkegaard
when i think about these words of wisdom, i am struck by the fact that Kierkegaard was himself a Christian existentialist. a seemingly oxymoronic place to be, and yet he validated himself through God, with a faith that was built on a philosophy of life.
after all, he reasoned. what was life but a series of choices? and these choices rested cleary in our own hands. our faith was ultimately based on our own decisions in life, regardless of how much help we could get from above.
the pressure seems rather large. evangelical christianity today is often misleading, perhaps inclined to think that everything we do can be done only by God (or converesely, blamed on God).
so often, i think we forget about the part where God works with us -- and focus too much on the idea that God can only work in us. God as an external factor, as opposed to a living God, transforming us through our own decisions and guiding us on our paths, instead of merely shoving us down a waterslide.
life is full of regrets, missed opportunities, and life altering decisions. one fork in the road is enough to alter your entire course.
to live forward than -- to recognize all these regrets and mistakes and not dwell on them...to have the courage to make your next choice without fearing another mistake -- that's life. that's living forward.
what's more, living forward is simply another word for faith. believing your decisions -- discernment included -- are the right ones, even if they initially feel impossible. believing you can overcome even when you think you can't. believing God is real based on your past, even when it doesn't seem like it right now.
sometimes you just have to stop moping, and just grind it out.
sometimes you just gotta have a little bit of faith.
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