When you read the title, you may have thought, “What does she mean, my “real life”? How can I live anything but this one real life?
Well, the title is inspired by the words of Colossians 3:1-3. This passage begins:
“You have been raised to new life with Christ.”
Wow. Read those words again.
“You have been raised to new life with Christ.”
As I write this, Easter is right around the corner. The day we celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus is near. It’s one of my favorite days of the whole year. Joy spills out of my heart at the thought of sin and pain and confusion and death being conquered. Christ is risen!
But when I read those words of Colossians 3:1, I realize that Easter is also the day to rejoice in our resurrection. We have been raised to new life with Christ! Celebrate!
And if we have been raised with Christ, what does that mean for our lives?
Read on in Colossians:
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)
I admit this passage can send me on a guilt trip. I don’t often follow Paul’s instructions to “think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”
After all, I live in a world that demands I pay attention to other cars on the road. Right now I need to think about spelling resurrection with three Rs and ending every sentence with a period. Day to day living means one of my most frequent thoughts is: What in the world am I going to make for supper?
I can complain that I don’t have the luxury in living in some spiritual retreat where I could concentrate on heavenly things. I can beat myself up for dwelling on what other people think of me or how to invest for retirement.
But what if this passage in Colossians inspired gratefulness instead of guilt? What if I thanked God that this current life–filled with Chicago traffic, grammar rules, and peeling potatoes–is not my real life?
This life has fear and rejection. It’s full of sadness and sorrow. This life hands us pain and death.
But my real life–the life I have because of Christ’s resurrection–and my resurrection–is different. This life is full of Christ’s love and acceptance. This life promises joy and peace. My real life has nothing but abundance and eternal being.
So this Sunday (Easter Sunday or any Sunday!) celebrate Christ’s resurrection– while remembering that it is your resurrection too. A resurrection to life–a life full of joy.
Next step: Journal about your real life. Start by listing the things you usually think of as your real life. Then write down what your how that life changes because of Christ!