Empowered By God

In addressing this topic of empowerment, I want to go back to the river illustration I used a few weeks ago. There are two things about this river analogy that we need to be clear on. First, we are not seeking a destination on the river, upstream or down. The point of the illustration is to highlight the fact that the river flows in but one direction. In the spiritual context, this direction is from the inside out. To be empowered by God is to know that our life can only be transformed from the inside out.

Both our religious and cultural training have programed us to believe the transformation, the fulfillment we seek lies upstream. Religion sees the current as a test of faith. Our cultural training says the hard work of paddling will get us to that satisfying place of success. So, why would Jesus question the logic of gaining the world at the risk of losing the soul? Did we really come here so we could spend our life paddling upstream?

There is something more to what he taught. He said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). There is something wrong with the way this statement is translated. Who in the world would want to follow a way that is even harder than paddling upstream? A careful reading of this line reveals that he is saying the narrow gate that leads to life is hard to find, and few find it. He found it and he taught it. Nothing on this earth is our destination. We are here to enjoy this journey.

To enjoy the journey means that we have goals, we pursue interests, embark on careers, we make money, we buy houses, we get married, we have children. But none of these represent our purpose for showing up on this planet. We are here to solve this puzzle of living, to engage in all our activities empowered by God.

Go out in your yard and find a dandelion. This humble flower is doing fully what you and I are striving for. It is not paddling upstream or drifting aimlessly down. It is being who and what it is from the inside-out. It has solved the puzzle of how to live a successful life empowered by God.