Martha Olawale

“And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.” 1 Corinthians 19:21

Before Christ, one can say Saul had it all: fame, wealth, affluence, and education. He was a cultural star of his time. He had it all through a layman’s eyes because the missing cord to the fulness of life lies in the secret place of the depth of each man’s soul.

In chapter 3, verses 4 through 7, writing to the Philippians, Paul cites himself as having good reasons to glory in his earthly exploits. He said that despite all he was before Christ, a circumcised Pharisee and of the revered tribe of Benjamin, nothing compares to following Jesus. To him, trading his walk with Christ for anything was out of the question. He writes in verse 7, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”

It’s believed that life is worth what you put into it, but the truth is, whatever treasure we stack up if Christ is not the foundation, they will lose their worth. A man or woman can choose adultery or material gains over the sanctity of their marriage because of the missing cord of surrender. And until they align themselves with God, it may consume them. Choosing Christ is a response to the choice He already made at Calvary to die in our place. He gave it all up in those gruesome hours to offer us a way out of our helplessness.

Everything that brings me joy in life does so because of Christ. My husband, children, Church, and friends are all part of the puzzle, and if you remove Christ from the foundation, it will all crumble. In the same vein, every worry, gloomy night, and uncertainty of life rests on my foundation in Christ, which makes it easy to go one more day.

Putting my life on a scale that leaves God out of the equation makes it lighter than a feather, weightless, worthless. He is the only anchor that can hold you grounded and the foundation on which any life can have true meaning. There is a resolve to follow Christ that makes Him enough. It leads on a path of peace and satisfaction that makes you know that if you must choose, you’ll let go of everything but Christ.