I wish I knew the absolute results of my efforts in advance; the outcome of a management decision made in the rush of this morning or the actual result of spending time working on a problem that will not go away. People judge and constantly evaluate you and I on the results of our lives. It is very difficult to know just what is going to happen with the choices we make today. If only we could know with some degree of certainty what could and would happen.
In my own journey this problem and question is never academic. People issues are hitting me from all directions, time is scarce, and I can only think and focus on a limited number of things. I cannot find the single right answer to the questions at hand. I know that I am not unique; your choices are as or even more difficult!
Like many other things, God’s view of life is the opposite. “Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.” (Romans 6.23) The questions we face really come to a simple black and white question. All the nuances and shades of gray that we see are merely fog blocking our sight lines. Are we pursuing a relationship with God in all things or not? Can we let go (do our best and let God worry about the outcome), and walk in faith (trusting God to always nurture us in living out our relationships)?
Clearly, the measurement of the results of our lives occurs on two levels. First, we face the immediate, visible and tangible critics that we work for, live with, and meet. I am not sure their opinions really matter in the scheme of things. Secondly, we live in the framework of God and how He views us, what he has, is, and continues to do for us. The latter framework is not worried about the results, God already won; the focus is on our choice in this moment.
