Dying to Live

August 8, 2023

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26 ESV).

This summer has been especially busy. At the beginning of the summer Logan (my oldest grandson) received his formal acceptance letter from Texas A&M University. His twin sister, Faith, started there last year while he stayed at home to continue working and go to community college. Both are now sophomores at A&M. Since they are sophomores, they are also eligible to live off-campus. They have chosen different locations that suit their individual needs more, though both needed some furniture to move into their new housing. I had requests for four different pieces of furniture to build for them. I was thrilled to be able to do it. So, after getting the plans together for each piece I began to calculate the materials list. It is always fun to go to the lumber yard for a specific project. They wanted the pieces stained and we chose some Idaho premium white pine for most of the construction.

It is always very satisfying to think that these pieces of furniture all began with a living tree, harvested, and milled according to the specifications necessary to produce beautiful furniture. It is funny how I look at these vast forests of timber and see beyond the beauty of the forest to that which they may become in the hands of various craftsmen. The life of Christian discipleship aims to follow that pattern every day. To surrender to Jesus is to “die to live,” giving over to him our sin, our wounds, and all our baggage so that he may refill us with new life through the Holy Spirit. It’s much more complex than woodworking, and the results are literally life-changing.

The call to find our lives by losing them is a bit hard to grasp, though. This doesn’t come ­naturally to us. But as we reflect on this theme in the coming weeks, we will see that dying to live is a journey of joy, gratitude, and grace. It begins with the craftsman. Jesus is the Master Craftsman!