Something about our will

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

 It is remarkably easy for our wills to be directed by our emotions, rather than our emotions directed by our wills. 

More often than I may care to admit, I find that my willingness to live a life directed and animated by the life of Christ is fickle and dependent upon how I feel in any given moment. If I’m having a good day or encouraged in my faith, I press on in faithful living. Yet if I feel discouraged, disheartened, or derailed, it is terribly easy to allow these emotions to impact, not only how I feel, but how I live.

The Apostle Paul was fully aware of this temptation that we all face, and in his letter to Timothy encourages him, not to “follow his heart” or simply act as he feels, but to live a willed and disciplined life in which he can daily decide to “set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” What might it look like if we did the same?

Often we shy away from the idea of being an example for others. It may feel arrogant or presumptuous. We are all too aware of the sin that remains within our hearts, the sickness that has yet to be fully healed, so how could we possibly claim to be an example for others to follow? Remember this: no one is expecting you to be an example of perfection. The example we are called to set is one of humility, repentance, and love. And though our emotions have a part to play, even a significant part, they do not call the shots. 

We are able, imperfect as we may be, to wake up every morning and direct our wills toward the way of Christ, and resolve afresh to set an example, modeling for those around us a way of living that is shaped and animated, not by the ever-changing whims and fancies of our fickle hearts, but by the virtues and values of the Kingdom of God.