Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” (Romans 10:11 MSG)

True or false: “Life always goes better with Jesus.”

When understood to mean the absence of problems or endless health, wealth, success, and happiness? The above is always false. When understood to mean a life that serves the good of our neighbors and communities? Then, friends, it’s always true.

A dear lady from my hometown passed away unexpectedly last week. I’d known her most of my life: I went to school with all four of her children, and she was the elementary school librarian. She played piano beautifully and accompanied countless young musicians at choral and band concerts and competitions, as well as giving private lessons. She played piano and sang in the choir at the church where my husband and I were married and attended, and it was there that, as a young adult, I grew to know Mrs. Sherrie better. She was an example of what living a cross-shaped life looked like, and I looked up to her very much. It wasn’t just me–she was well known and loved in the community, and that has been confirmed over and over again by the outpouring of love for her family in the wake of her sudden passing. 

Living a cross-shaped life is in and of itself counter-cultural, and it always serves the good of our neighbors and communities, whether they happen to agree with it or not. Mrs. Sherrie’s life is a perfect example of this: every person that attended her funeral service or posted condolences online doesn’t live their lives the way she did or believe in the same truths. But they felt His love through her, even if they might not have recognized it as that.

Mrs. Sherrie didn’t live without difficulties. Jesus’s life on earth wasn’t without hardship, either, and we aren’t promised a life without problems. We are promised a life knowing the One died for our sins (John 3:16), the One who never leaves us (Hebrews 13:5), and the One who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:14). These are the things that make a life “go better with Jesus,” and no one ever regrets that.

Since watching Mrs. Sherrie’s service online I’ve been thinking about what my own funeral would look like. Have I lived my life in such a way that hundreds of people would come forward with examples of how the way I lived my life pointed them to God? We don’t live this way to gain admiration, but are we actively living in such a way that others can’t help but see Him in all we do? What’s one way you can make your life more cross-shaped today?