I have spent the majority of my career condensing positive testimonials into bite-sized chunks. A snack of inspiration, if you will. As people shared their stories, I would listen for the problem, the solution, the lesson, and the God moment. I know life is complicated, and there is always detail left on the cutting room floor. Usually, I'm only sharing one moment in a person's life, one struggle, one lesson, one God moment. But that's the job. As writers, we learn to use concise language and as few words as possible. As an editor, I often heard, 'Keep the video the length of a song. Churches will not play it if it is any longer.' So, I learned to stick to the essential story beats and keep it simple.
I have an audiobook I've listened through several times, Stein on Writing, and in the book is an exercise — Imagine you are on a pinnacle able to shout one sentence to the masses. What would that sentence be? What one message encapsulates who you are and what you have to say to the world. After you write it, refine it. Make it the best sentence you can write. Now imagine you are speaking to your dearest love. Would you change it? What if it was your enemy? What if you could write a second sentence? And so the exercise goes. I wanted to avoid cliché, but I'm a follower of Jesus. My message is simple and over 2,000 years old. Honestly, its been around since the first generation of humanity. I gave it a shot anyway.
Now, I consider myself a moderate wordsmith at best. The message always deserves more than my skill, and discipline can muster. But, If you strip me down to the core of my understanding, experience, and observation of this world, this is what I would have to say—
Life is the refiner's fire, and we are either dross or gold. Choose gold!
It's a word in progress, but it is what my current life experience has to offer. I think the sentiment better communicated in Holy Scriptures. In Deuteronomy chapter 30, Moses challenges the Israelites with the simplest explanation of life I have found anywhere, and he says as much.
"For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so that you can do it.
(ESV - Deuteronomy 30: 11-14)
The chapter concludes with what I consider the "what" of life. We may never fully understand the "why," but the "what" is simple. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life…” There it is, the construct of life. All of the complexities of our beautiful, tragic experience in this world boil down to life and death, blessing, and curse. Not only that, but God also shares the love and compassion of his heart when he pleads with us, Choose life!
The apostle Paul borrows from this passage to make a similar claim. Even after we as a race have chosen death and curse, God created a simple but profound solution for us. Romans chapter 8 says,
…Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(ESV - Romans 8: 5-13)
This resurrection weekend, as Christians celebrate the victory of God's messiah, I say to everyone who will listen, I know we are broken. We hurt ourselves and each other, disease, famine, and death plague us all, but the challenge is the same. Will you be an agent of life or death, blessing or curse. I plead with you, with the healing love and hope of Jesus Christ, our great and abundant consolation, please, choose life!