“A Life That Matters” (Part 1)

In the movie “Pearl Harbor” we follow two cocky young pilots into the opening days of US involvement in World War II. In the months before the US actually entered the fray, one of those pilots, Rafe McCawley, goes to England to join the “Eagle Squadron”—a unit of American pilots flying with the British RAF in the battle for Britain raging in the skies over England. When he arrives at the airfield, he reports to the Commanding Officer while surveying the carnage of the latest mission that had left too many pilots dead and too many planes destroyed. McCawley says, “From the looks of things we better get me in a plane and in the air as fast as possible.” The CO responds, “Are all you Yanks so anxious to get yourselves killed?” Rafe’s response is classic, “Not in a hurry to die, sir, just to matter.”

That is powerful. Very few things in life are more difficult to bear than feeling as if your life doesn’t matter. And, conversely, very few things in life are more important than finding ways to assure that your life has impact and makes a difference. In the real world, however, few of us are going to have the privilege of being a war hero or discovering the cure for a major disease or even inventing the longer lasting light bulb. Our lives are marked by goals more ordinary. By dreams more average.

So, how then can we live lives that make a difference? How can our fretting moments on the stage matter? I would suggest that it is not found in the moments of glory but in the dailiness of life. That impact is the result of influence, and influence is the fruit of example. And that there may be no greater way to make our lives matter than by living out an example that impacts the lives of others. What would that be like?

I would start off by suggesting that a life that matters is rooted in who we are more than it is in what we do. An example of what Socrates called “the examined life”—a life that can stand up under scrutiny because it displays wisdom, character, and strength of conviction. How is that achieved? The answer is found in what is arguably the most preposterous statement in the Bible, a statement that comes in several parts—

• 1 Corinthians 4:16- “I urge you, then, be imitators of me.”
• 1 Corinthians 11:1- “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
• Ephesians 5:1- “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

Okay, just so we have our bearings straight, I cannot imagine saying what Paul says. This is either ego run amuck or it is one of the most significant things Paul ever wrote. The word imitators comes from the Greek root mimeomai, from which we get “mimic”, “mime”, and “mimeograph.” Now, when Paul makes statements like this, two things are critical:

• Paul always uses this as an exhortation, implying it is both possible and encouraged;
• Paul always uses it in the continuous sense, suggesting that this is to be the constant habit and practice of our lives.

In his words, Paul actually shows us both sides of the equation. He declares the need for an example, and he also says that he is willing to embrace the challenge of being that example! Why is that so important? Today we see the first reason:

People Need An Example (Phil.3:17)

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (vv.17-20)

Notice the contrast. It is a reminder that people have more than one option when it comes to the issue of available examples to follow. Paul says to follow his example and the example (“keep your eyes on”) of those who follow his example. He also says that there are other examples. So there are primarily two options:

• Walk like us, as citizens of heaven (vv.17,20)
• Walk like the enemies of the cross (end is destruction, god is belly, glory in shame)

He’s not slamming guys on the other side of the denominational fence. With tears, he warns about the self-destructive patterns of the lives of those who have placed themselves in opposition to the grace of Christ. It is not merely an issue of needing an example to follow—it is the wisdom of selecting the right example.

Wednesday we will see another reason to view the power of influence in living a life that matters.