The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23)
In about 400 BC it was Socrates who first said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” It was spoken by him at his trial where he was charged with corrupting the youth of his day and his refusal to acknowledge the gods of the state. His point to his prosecutors was it would be better to die and be able to pursue the understanding of truth in the afterlife than to be placed in exile and never know the truth. Over the last 2400 years, the basic premise has guided millions in their pursuit of truth and understanding about life in general, and their own lives in particular.
I personally was introduced to the idea many years ago while making an Ignatian silent retreat and have found it to be a helpful spiritual discipline. Ignatius of Loyola considered the examination of conscience to be the single most important spiritual discipline and Richard Foster highlights its importance in his teaching on the discipline of study. Countless others have implemented the practice without having been formally taught the principle, knowing intuitively it will enable you to live 30 years versus the same year 30 times. A fate we all hope to avoid.
In an effort to illustrate how this works I will share some of my reflections that came out of our Remember event that took place on Friday night May 31, 2019. The event was a 40-year anniversary celebration for an encounter I had with the Lord where I was healed physically and set free spiritually and emotionally to a years’ long addiction to drugs and alcohol. We had about 120 people attend who were given the opportunity to remember their own personal encounters with God and receive prayer ministry for any current concerns they had in their lives. Many were touched and received fresh revelation from God about who He wants to be for them and the plans He has for their lives. It was a joyous time. My point here, however, is to give you a little insight into how I processed what God did, and was saying, in the days following. In no particular order.
We don’t always know exactly why God has us do something, even after we are done doing it. God had spoken to me clearly the year before about “remembering” the encounter in 1979 but did not really reveal many other details. He revealed the date for the event, ministry format and who was to be invited to participate, but that was about it. He never really offered why were to do it, what was going to happen either the night of, or in the days following, or a host of other details that would have been really nice to know. Sometimes God provides those details but many times we need to walk in faith and obedience and celebrate whatever happens!
It is sometimes difficult to refrain from developing expectations and filling in the blanks. As human beings, created in the image of God, we have an innate desire to figure things out and understand what is happening or about to happen. It is part of our practicing dominion over creation, something God created us for and has commissioned us to do. This leads us to interpret God’s revelation through our own lens and fill in the blanks with our own expectations of fulfillment. In other words, if God said “do this” it must mean that He is going to “do that”, which may or may not be true. We tend to place our own desires and expectations on what God is doing which leads to disappointment and just generally gets us into all kinds of trouble.
Spiritual highs leave us vulnerable to spiritual lows. I think of this as the Elijah syndrome referencing his encounter with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. Elijah experienced this tremendous victory over 450 prophets of Baal, demonstrating the power and majesty of God. The people responded in repentance and committed themselves to serve the Lord once again. In a life filled with the miraculous, this event surely would have been considered in the top 5. Yet, a few days later he hears queen Jezebel is after him and wants to take his life and runs scared. Elijah goes into hiding and once there, asks the Lord to take his life. Within just a couple of days, he goes from miraculous victory to despairing of his own life. There are lessons to be learned here, the primary one being we need to prepare for the lows before they descend on us in times when we are depleted spiritually, emotionally and physically.
There were other lessons as well but these are just a sampling to make the point. We learn and grow as we examine ourselves and seek to align ourselves with truth. And examining one’s life is not difficult work when done under the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He is more than ready to show us how we can continue to grow in Christlikeness and our effectiveness in serving. However, we must be intentional and allow the Holy Spirit to work transformation in us by doing what He says. Repentance, faith and future obedience are the keys to moving forward in our walk with Jesus. Together, let us commit to “examining ourselves” and experience a more vital walk with Jesus, maturing followers of Jesus Christ.
Author
Pastor Bruce is the Executive Director of God's Living Stones. He lives in Omaha, NE, with his wife Barb. They have two adult children.
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