Do You Have a Life Verse?

    I remember when my pastor challenged me to find my life verse, philosophy, and purpose many years ago. I agonized and struggled over it for days, maybe weeks. I refined and refined and rewrote, etc.… The verses I finally settled on were: Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.”

    That is quite a long passage for a life verse or passage, but my pastor wisely didn’t contradict me or try to change my mind. I still believe these verses are part of who I am and the call on my life but in the past several years I’ve stumbled upon what I believe is my true life verse given the person I am and the practical working out of my whole life calling. 

    In Luke 10, Jesus is speaking to what the NIV refers to as “an expert in the Law.” The man asks Jesus what he must do to be saved. Jesus in return asks him what the Law says. The man’s answer is in Luke 10: 27 says, “Love Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” I believe this is my life verse and my true whole life calling.

    In December of 2016 God called me to China to teach at a secular university. As a result, I lived and worked in Xinzheng, Henan, China for two years from July of 2017 through June of 2019. In true Sheila fashion, I struggled with this call. As had been my habit of the past, I questioned whether I’d heard rightly. I asked God, “Who am I that you would call me to do that?” I tried to convince myself that it was only my own thoughts and wishes. I talked to my kids, my pastor, one of my Bible College teachers, and friends. I finally got the message that this WAS in indeed God calling me to China. Then, I started asking what a 60 something American woman had in common or could say to 19 to 20 year old Chinese students. God’s answer was somewhat astounding to me. He said, “Just love them.” He directed me to Luke 10 and the encounter with the expert in the Law. Wow! So simple. Yet not so easy. This simple command led me to a country where the language, customs, and laws are entirely different than my own. It also caused me to have to turn my focus outward away from myself toward those I was commanded to love, As I did this, an unanticipated consequence occurred. I was transformed. Two years later, the person who returned to the United States was not the person who left for China. Pursuing God with everything I am and everything I have and loving my students as I loved myself, all unaware to me began to transform me in ways I am still amazed and in awe of four years after my return. In some ways I am still processing these changes. Putting others first and loving them as Jesus does comes so much easier to me now than it ever has. Before China I had always striven to be a good Christian and represent Christ well. However, the love for my students began to expand to the rest of my neighbors: the other teachers, my family and friends in the United States, etc.…

    I am changed. Accepting Luke 10:27 , “Love Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” As my life verse and living by it is so much easier now. Of course, it is an impossible goal to accomplish perfectly but it provides me a yardstick to measure my self and my actions against daily. It keeps me on my journey and encourages me as I go.

What is your life verse? Why?