Afraid to Die? Afraid to Live?

I’m not afraid to die.
I’m not afraid to live,
and when I’m flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did
—U2, “Kite”

The thought of being afraid to live seems odd, even laughable, at first glance. But how many of us feel like we are just getting by, just making it, just holding on?

Jesus told his disciples that he came that they might have life and have it to the fullest. This promise counts for his disciples today as well as two thousand years ago. Do we live life to the fullest?

I fear that too many Christians have bought the argument that living as a Christian is boring and dry; that you may as well be dead. These Christians see God first and foremost as a judge who sternly watches his people and who is usually frowning or even angry with their failures to live up to His standards.

Many of these people long ago quit coming to church. Why be reminded of an angry God? Many others come to church to assuage their consciences, and offer up prayers that God may be too busy in New York and Afghanistan to bother checking up on their behavior.

But is God first and foremost a stern judge who cannot wait to get his hands of punishment on us? The best image of God we have is the closest one to us—Jesus. Jesus took on human flesh and became human to show us the character and love of God. Jesus spent far more time helping people learn how to live than he did making them afraid to live.

Go and do likewise.