Living the Dream

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

Picture this typical July 4th scene: Children play while adults laugh in the backyard of a modest, two-story home. Meat smokes on the grill and everyone holds a cold drink. As the sun sets, kids wave sparklers and the adults set fireworks off in the yard. Everyone ends the evening tired but happy. In neighborhoods across the country we see this image of the good life, the American dream, play out every Independence Day.

Contrast this life with the lives of Peter and Paul. You probably didn’t realize, July 29 is the Minor Church Festival for Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It seems appropriate that these two get paired together even though the two men had very different temperaments. Peter was a fisherman, passionate and impulsive, a devoted follower throughout Christ’s public ministry – until his faith proved weak on the terrible night he betrayed our Lord. Paul was respected, intelligent and self-righteous, a persecutor of Christians during the early days of the Church. While both came from very different molds, both were transformed by God’s grace into the most noteworthy leaders of the early Church.

If this were a child’s bedtime story, it would seem appropriate that these two men of God would enjoy lives that ended happily ever after. But Scripture reveals that the surrounding culture wouldn’t allow things to unfold with the kind of happy ending we’re used to. Peter and Paul weren’t loved by all. They weren’t fully understood by all. They both experienced persecution and ultimately were brutally martyred for their faith.

Such stories of the early Christian leaders lead us to consider our own expectations of life as an American and as a Christian. As a general rule, Americans live with the dream of endless hope and possibilities. We expect life to be good. We expect that if we work hard and strive to be the best, success will be within our grasp. We are an optimistic people here in America.

Because we are so optimistic and work so hard to live the American dream, when hardships and serious difficulties come our way, we are shocked, dismayed, and deeply troubled.

Yet, when we look back at the Christian saints who have gone before us, we quickly realize that they didn’t seem to react to hardships the way we do. They don’t even seem to have the same expectations of life that we often do. They rejoiced in the midst of hardship. They considered it a privilege to suffer for the Lord and for His Church. They seemed in touch with the fact that there was more to life than what's on the surface and that we have a true home awaiting us elsewhere.

I don’t reflect on this truth in an attempt to throw cold water on your fireworks. But I have noticed that many American Christians feel shame or depression for not having reached the American Dream. We want the perfect life here on earth. We carry around the weight of “what if." We compare our fractured existence to others’ lives, which appear near-perfect from where we sit. And it seems that quite often it’s not the imperfections and trials we experience that hold us back from giving our lives fully to Christ and to each other, but the guilt, regrets, and shame associated with these imperfections.

It may help to remind ourselves from time to time that we aren't here to live perfect lives. God didn’t even create us for the purpose of living the American Dream, as nice as that is. He created us to know Him and bring Him to a fallen world. And that means that not only will we not know perfection in this life, but we can expect some pain and suffering mingled with happier moments.

With that perspective in mind, we can be like St. Paul and rejoice when life doesn't look perfect to us - because we know a perfect God really is in control and has great plans for us. This doesn’t mean the Christian life is bleak or horrible or that we shouldn't enjoy the wonderful blessings we have as American citizens. Quite the opposite. We have the freedom to let go of the impossible pursuit of perfection knowing God ultimately has better plans than anything the American Dream could offer us.

Gain perspective from the saints,

Pastor Michael Zarling