It was a beautiful day on Moody Bible Institute campus. I had actually found time to sleep between work and class. I was walking home after my last class and going through my mental checklist. I had never really sat down and written out these goals. Rather, the list had formed over the years as I listened to sermons and heard advice. My list had things like: work hard, love your wife and make her eyes shine with joy, apply your mind and heart to your studies, serve others, be humble, exercise and take care of your body, and don’t forget the long list of sins that I needed to kill. This particular day I was asking myself how I was doing in each area. As I walked I had a question pop in my mind. It wasn’t an audible voice but it was a strong impression, “what if you finish your list and you still don’t know me (Jesus) deeply?” What? I had never thought of such a thing. Isn’t this entire list of things designed to help me know and follow Jesus? As I pondered that question I knew deep down that I could actually achieve everything on my list without deeply knowing and loving Jesus.

That question haunted me for weeks. I wanted a new motivation for everything that I was doing. Yes, many of the same activities would remain on my list but I wanted to do it all to know,understand and love Jesus. I’m still working on that, by the way.

Maybe today you need to do the same imaginative practice. Have you ever developed your list of ideals? What goals do you have in your life? What does your ideal life look like? Write that list down. Now, close your eyes and imagine your life with every one of those things in it. What do you feel? Now imagine that you possess and have achieved everything you could dream of but you still don’t know God. I mean, you might know of God but you don’t have a deep relationship with your creator. Now how do you feel?

Now imagine your life with deep love and understanding of God. Imagine a relationship with God that is conversational and vibrant. Where you talk to him and he speaks back in whispers and nudges. Imagine a life that is altogether unfinished but is always on the path beside an everlasting unfailing friend named Jesus. Which life is better? You decide.

By Aaron Bjorklund

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