YOLO - A twisted version

YOLO.  You Only Live Once.

Not even 10 years ago this acronym surfaced and took off with young people.  I knew it to be slang for excusing behavior you wanted to pretend you had no need or desire to take responsibility for.

The thing of it is, though, is that we do only live once. During our one chance to be on this earth, we are called to be salt and light in this world.

You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.

~ Matthew 5:13-16

 
This set of verses trails on the ever popular Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1:3-12).  The blessings that ensue are blessings you can see in those around you--when I consider who I know that portray those qualities, it is those who have suffered through trials and come away from their anguish on the other side, truly beholden to God and His sovereignty.  It is not limited to only those, and these verses should bolster in us encouragement toward being bold in our faith, we will be blessed--maybe not in this lifetime on earth, but our reward is in Heaven.  There is no greater blessing than that, Heaven will make any persecution or suffering worth it!

When we break it down to mere points, the conclusion becomes obvious.  We need to be living our Christian lives with a YOLO mindset.  We only have one life to affect those around us and point them to Christ.  We only have one life to proclaim His Name.  We only have one life to prepare our hearts for eternity.


In the same chapter, the two verses immediately preceding the salt of the earth set of verses, we read:

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
~ Matthew 5:11-12

 I don't bring this up to give you a false sense of assurance that if you get verbally attacked for defending the Word that you have arrived: that you're in, that you're golden, that your reward is waiting. It is meant to give you a foundation for the truth you are upholding.  Our goal in this life is to give God glory in everything we do and say... can you say you are upholding this in your life?

I have failed many times to be bold in my life, but it helps to remind myself that I do have one life to live so why would I not be bold in my faith; if I claim it defines me and cleanses me from the inside out, if I claim that God is my Father and I seek to give Him glory, have I not, then failed as His herald if I shy away from speaking truth?  I have succumbed to fear too often and kept quiet, hiding away what God has done in and for me.  I have been through trials in the last couple years and God has guided me through them all.  Through those trials, I have found my worth in Christ and a lot of the fear that crippled me has been washed away with my newfound value as one of His.

But... know your worth. Know your disposition. Who you are matters as we seek to honor God with our lives.  If you are terrified of speaking in public, open air preaching is likely not the avenue you should lean toward.  It is important to understand we all have our roles, we are not all called to the same area in ministry but we are all called to it.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

~ Romans 12:4-8

So I will try to remember YOLO, and my role as a herald for Him is a necessity if I claim Him as my own, which I do.