A few weeks back, I wrote about the celebration of my sister. I hope you read it, not just because I love my sister, but because I think her life can be a model for you. Her life is a life of significance.
That, the idea of significance, is the point, isn’t it? When I talk to students, when I communicate with large groups or talk to my faculty peers, at the depth, the core of almost every conversation, is the passion for life to have meaning. For all the effort to count. To have a life of significance.
The sad reality though is that few people know how to get there. As a student of history (and a professor to boot, though I often think I am still just learning and hope I can stay ahead of my students), I wonder if that quest has ever really been easy. When I look at periods of time, back to the dawn of time, say in the Athens of Solon or Plato, or maybe the Rome of Cicero or England during the time of invasion by William the Conquerer, I believe that there were those who simply could not see how to make life count. Just like today, they either thought the deck was stacked against them or they simply never could see beyond the end of their nose.
Yet, in December, around the world, the birth of another person is celebrated. Jesus came into the world to give us the opportunity to find the path to significance. Certainly, from a spiritual, a “Christian” point of view, that idea of a “path of significance” becomes the simple, yet deep, idea of believing his own claim to be the true Son of God and that through belief in Him, one could have eternal life. If you have not accepted that truth, my prayer for you would be that you find that level of significance today. If you ever want to talk to me about it, please fire away with a comment or a direct email.
But, there is another picture Jesus gives us, and his birth of significance provided us a model of how to live significantly. Even if you reject the spiritual claims of Jesus and think people like me are naive and sadly confused, historically you cannot reject the impact Jesus had on his world at that time. All you have to do is research his life to see how you too can live a life of significance today. Here was a man who chose to not focus on accumulating personal wealth but rather spent his life on others. Jesus took time to speak with the outsiders, here a man that had been condemned to live in a graveyard because everyone was afraid of him, there a prostitute about to be stoned to death. Jesus was willing to challenge injustice, even if it was against the conservative religious rulers of his day or the liberal political leaders who taxed and taxed for “government services.” He wasn’t afraid to say the hard thing to his friends and followers, even to the point of them deciding to no longer be his friend.
A life of significance is built by small choices to do the right thing at all times. It is a life that chooses to honor all people. It is a life that knows the maintenance woman or the man who cleans the bathrooms where you work. It is a life that confronts injustice even though doing so might be hard. It is a life that boldly stands for the right. Jesus lived that kind of life, even if you don’t believe he was the Son of God (though the evidence is overwhelming to the veracity of his claims).
In three days, when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday, take a moment to reflect on his life. Determine now that, just like my sister, you too will pursue a life of significance as we head into 2012. Take a moment to read Luke 2 or Matthew 3 as a reminder to this man’s birth. Let His example sink deeply into your bones.
Now, go and do likewise.