A year ago in my history class I read this quote,
“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come a die.”
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Now I don’t know about you but when I first read this quote, it scared me to death, and if I can be even more honest, it still scares me to death now. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, widely considered the the most influential theologian of the 20th century, brings forth the radical notion that Christ is and should be our all. But here’s the catch: WE, you and I, must CHOOSE to accept it. How? By dying to ourselves entirely.
Does he refer to a physical death? Possibly. Bonhoeffer was martyred at the hands of the Nazi government due to his, and other German leader’s, religious beliefs and attempted assassination plots towards Adolf Hitler, so yes a physical death could possibly be dying to oneself. However most of us in today’s age won’t even ever be truly persecuted in our entire lives, let alone ever experience martyrdom. So how does this quote relate us then? What is Bonhoeffer saying to average Joe Christian like you and I? Well in all actuality, he’s referring to something really quite revolutionary I believe that is so counter to what you and I have come accustomed to in these United States. I believe that what Bonhoeffer is saying is that when Christ calls us we are to die to yourself and myself. To die to ourselves and what we want.
Now again, lets allow room for some honesty. This is a pretty heavy statement that I find rather intimidating. Because as a red blooded human being, I want stuff. I have dreams and aspirations for myself, and I’m not gonna lie, when I became a christian, I didnt think this is what I would have gotten. I thought God made things easier for people. I mean, I know life is hard, people get sick and die, and evil still exists, but I didn’t think I would have to sacrifice my life to Him. Christ sacrificed himself for me, not the other way around. Boy was I wrong.
When I first read this quote last year, I had been going to a 12 Step Program for a pornography addiction for a little over a year and a half at the time and one of my recovery verses was Romans 12:1.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”
Prior to this time, I read this verse with the understanding that it was referring to the decisions you made with your body, and not once did I ever even entertain the notion that God might have wanted more than that. Yet the minute I read this verse after reading Bonhoeffer’s quote, I realized God genuinely yearned for more of me.
As I get ready for The World Race, I notice that I feel almost out of place here in comfort. At Training Camp, we got to experience ten whole days where we were without electronics, our family, comforts that we all take for granted on a day to day basis, and just in the complete and utter abandonment of all we had, to be closer to God. And let me tell you, it was not easy in the slightest. Training Camp was without a doubt the most exhausting experience I have ever done. Spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally speaking, I was drained. But it left something inside me. It feels almost like it’s where I belong.
Someone once said,
“I didn’t go to religion to make me ‘happy.’ I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly do not recommend Christianity.”
This quote I feel piggy backs on what Bonhoeffer said rather well. Christianity is not about happiness. It’s about love, and to love is to sacrifice. I realize now that we as Christians were never called to be happy. We were called to love others as Christ loves us and to tell others about Him and The Good News. To do so requires sacrifice and to do that adequately we have to die to our selfish selves. Selfishly speaking, there is a small piece of me deep down that does not want to go on The World Race. I want to start a life, a family, a career, and forgo all those experiences that are sure to be tough and hard to deal with on The Race. I mean, sleeping in a tent for a year? Why would any of us want to do that? But we aren’t doing it for ourselves. Rather, we are embarking on this grand adventure because we love. We chose to die to ourselves because we love others and we love God, and as obedient disciples to God we follow Him with peace and gladness in our hearts.
So I challenge you who are reading this quote for the first time with a question. What does dying to yourself look like? To me, it’s The World Race.
