To Be (life), or Not to Be (life)
- Joe Palmisano
- May 5
- 5 min read
Theme: Experience life abundantly in this world
How can one be given the gift of true Life in Christ and be grumpy? How can a person be redeemed and choose to live miserably? Why would a person who has won the ultimate victory in Jesus live as one defeated?
I have thought about this a lot over the last few days as our church, our body, is experiencing so much joy, love, and growth. When we experience God’s work in us, should we not be jumping with joy, hugging, laughing, crying, and “living life to the fullest?”
It is funny to me that those in this world, the ones who do not know Jesus, often don masks and crafted personas to hide their misery. They choose to act as though they have it all. Yet, many Christians who have it all do not often show it.
Now, do not get me wrong. I realize that this fallen world is an equal opportunity pain slinger. Whether in Jesus or not, there are still cancers, accidents, effects of old age, family crises, and more, and we will not always be smiling or jumping with joy. There will be times of sadness, doubt, anger, and worry. There will be times of mourning and loss. But even in those times, Jesus told us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV). As hard as it is to understand, whether it is good or bad, we are victorious, and if we know this, it will shine through as joy and hope amid whatever we are dealing with.
I spoke with Steve and Diana Saulnier on the Be Life Podcast this week. Steve has been a college football coach for five decades, and he, Diana, and their children, Hannah, and Jacob, have traveled the country as many coaches do. My most vivid memory of Jacob is his wanting to hit a baseball from the moment he could stand. He began hitting it off a tee and progressed from there.
Fast forward to Jacob’s senior year in college. Steve is coaching at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, while Jacob is at Emmanuel University in Franklin Springs, GA. Jacob is leading the nation among all Division 2 baseball players in batting average, hitting over .500. He has been complaining of a sore on his tongue and how his mouth is hurting. After Diana insists, he sees a doctor, the spiral begins.
After diagnosis, a twelve-hour surgery in which doctors removed half of Jacob’s tongue and over 75 lymph nodes, it was not over. Jacob had Stage 4 cancer and would require five sessions of chemo and radiation: all while being fed with a feeding tube and not able to speak. Oh, and there would be no more baseball in Jacob’s life. It may seem trivial with what he was dealing with, but remember, it was his passion from the moment he could stand.
How could there be any sign of joy amidst the darkness this family found itself in? When we surrender our lives to Christ, we become His Body with every other soul who has done the same. We often have no idea who is in our ‘family,’ but they are there. In this family’s case, during this diagnosis, surgery, chemo, radiation, recovery, expenses, and loss of income, the brothers and sisters of The Body surrounded them, became one with them, and upheld them, meeting the needs that could not be met alone.
In the end, God has led Jacob on a career path that he would not have chosen, but one that brings him more joy and fulfillment than baseball ever could. He is married to a young lady who came alongside him and other Emmanuel students to pray for him. Steve and Diana discovered family in the Body, which was revealed to them through this trial, and a much more profound joy than before.
None of us will escape the pain and sadness of this fallen world but take heart: we are not of this world. The writer of Ecclesiastes understood this when he wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV).
There will be times of quiet and solitude, sadness, and loss. In those times, we have the Body, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to comfort us and fill our gaps. We can have joy in this.
As we experienced yesterday, there are also times having baptisms, dedications, singing, and praise. These are the times when we can and should laugh, sing, dance, and leap with joy in the love we share through Jesus. As Diana Saulnier put it when describing Jacob’s wedding, “We took in every second of his wedding celebration and celebrated like never before. I learned that we must celebrate when we have that opportunity.”
As I age, I care less about how I look when I am joyful. I no longer worry about saying, “I love you” too much or telling a father and mother how much I love their kids. I do not care if others see me as foolish. I want to love with abandonment.
To love and be loved is to feel the Son’s warmth from both sides.
Scripture: Romans 15:13 NIV; 1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
Prayer:
Lord, how can we grasp your ways, your will, and your purpose for our lives and your Body on this earth? Why do we even feel the need to understand and give our own meaning to our lives? When we do, we often become like leaves in a hurricane, blown from emotion to emotion, feeling to feeling, adrift without an anchor. How can we know joy when all around us often seems in chaos? Thank you, God, for Jesus and your solution to all. Jesus is the anchor, and a loving, caring, nurturing one. In Him alone can we trust without knowing, have joy without joyful circumstances, and love beyond all comprehension. The same love you had for me while I ignored and denied you. Let the world see me as foolish. I am not of the world, and now an alien. How can I not look foolish, as I no longer even know the language. Amen
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