Being in a relationship with God is always a good thing.

In a recent interview with John Mark Comer, author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, Comer relayed to Carey Nieuwhof an old story taken from the Greek novelist Nikos Kazantzakis:

One day, Nikos asked Father Makarios, “Do you still wrestle with the devil?”

Father Makarios said, “No. I used to wrestle with the devil all the time. But now I have grown old and tired, and the devil has grown old and tired with me. So I leave him alone and he leaves me alone.”

Nikos asked, “Then life is easy now?”

Father Makarios responded, “Oh, no. Life is much harder now. For now I wrestle with God.”

Nikos exclaimed, “You wrestle with God and hope to win?”

“No,” said Father Makarios, “I wrestle with God and hope to lose.”

Comer interprets this to mean, “In the early years a young man wrestles with ambition, sexuality, success, performance, fears, and self-worth.”

“In the second half of life we wrestle with God, his appointment over our life, and with how our life has gone. We wrestle with forgiveness, sadness, and disappointments. And, we are no longer trying to win. We stop telling God to bend my life into the life I want.”

“As we grow, we’re trying to live with genuine joy within the contours of the life we actually have. Not the life we thought we would have. Or—the life we wanted to have—or wished we had.”

Our second half mission becomes one of celebrating relationships. Climbing fewer mountains, drinking deeply of life’s rich moments. The big second half theme is acceptance.

The Apostle Paul, when he was young, was full of titles, Tribe of Benjamin, Pharisee of Pharisees, etc. But when he was older, Paul said, “I only want to know one thing: Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2 NASB1995)

Prayer

Father, thank you that you and I can always be in a relationship. I want the second half of my life to be about wisdom and making better choices. I know that means staying in a close relationship with you. Forgive me if I wrestle with you. I want you to win. I know you are refining me. May I submit well. May I struggle well, out of love for you. I am yours. Amen.

Bible Verse

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 (NASB1995)