Many Christians see nothing wrong with being the captain of their own ship, charting a course in search of meaning and purpose. Whether it takes 40 days or 40 years, we know for certain that a life of substance exists because Jesus himself promised it to us: 

"Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life" (John 10:9-10, NLT).

For purposes of clarification, a "rich and satisfying life" does not imply riches (despite how proponents of the prosperity gospel might interpret this verse).  Christ did not come to earth to make us financially wealthy (sorry, Joel Osteen).  Neither did he come to make sure we were comfortable and safe.  Just ask any of the first-century Christians.  Oh, wait--you can't ask them because they're dead, having been tortured to death because of their allegiance to Christ.  They took that whole "take up your cross and follow me" directive seriously.  

Christ's promise of a rich and satisfying life must be understood in its complete spiritual context.  Regardless of our circumstances--good or bad--Jesus promised us a life that is (depending on your Bible translation) "abundant," "full," "enjoyable and overflowing," and "more and better than we ever dreamed of."

If we really believe what Jesus said, our life in Christ can be filled with meaning and purpose and passion, regardless of how difficult the circumstance around us.  And we don't have to wait until the kingdom comes in all its fullness.  We can have that kind of life right here, right now.  No wonder those first-century Christians were willing to die for this kind of life.  A life that's missing such meaning and purpose hardly seems worth living for.  On the other hand, a life full of the kind of meaning and purpose Jesus offers us is worth dying for.

This brings us to the paradox of the Christian life.  Christ promised us a life of passion and completeness, but many of us don't seem to have found it even though we're searching diligently for it.  This can't be Christ's fault.  He isn't a cruel prankster who would hide from us what he wants us to have.  Certainly he's not reneging on his promise.  So, in good faith, relying on his promise, we continue to search for a life of purpose and passion.  And until we find it, the kind of Christianity we practice doesn't work all that well.  it's a struggle.  It's boring.  It's unsatisfying.

If you're stuck with an unsatisfying life in Christ, you have several choices.  You can quit, throw in the towel, give up, abandon your faith because it's not worth very much.  You can fake it, telling everyone you're doing great, never letting on that inside you are miserable.  Or you can continue to live in spiritual mediocrity, believing that an unsatisfying Christian life is better than a life outside the Christian community.

If those were the only choices available to us, it would be pretty grim.  Fortunately, there is at least one other option for living a satisfying and abundant life in Christ, and it's one that Jesus himself gave us.  Next time we'll look at that option.  Meanwhile, we'd love to hear your thoughts.