What is Life-giving?

Amy Oden

Church of the Resurrection Insights Blog

5.7.25

Philippians 3: 12-14

Paul makes sure that the Philippians know we are always on the way, always moving, always stepping into the future, a powerful invitation! The spiritual life is not a matter of thinking we’ve arrived. We are always growing, moving, leaning into the next life-giving step, listening for God’s call into the future. The earliest movement around Jesus was called “the Way” not “the Arrival.”  For me, one powerful question made this real.

I remember a time in my life when I felt very lost, when I was confused about which way to go, unclear about the path ahead yet aware I could no longer stay where I was. It was a painful and anxious time for me.

I remember so clearly the day my spiritual director asked me this key question: “Amy, what is life-giving for you?” This stopped me in my tracks. What is life-giving? What brings me life? I didn’t know right away but I did know that I wanted to sit with this question. I got excited just thinking about it. I knew that letting this question lead me forward was the way through the fog toward God’s voice, that this question would open my ears to “the prize of God’s upward call” (v. 14).  That upward call will always – always! – be life-giving. “I have come to bring them life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

So, I began to watch for what brings life. I began to notice what activities, people, places, practices, attitudes, expectations, anything at all that was life-giving, that is, that brought aliveness, energy, awakening. I began to focus on things that cultivated hope, love, peace, the capacity to care for others. This focus shifted my vision away from “figuring it all out,” or “getting it right.” I could let go of the things that had held me back (v. 13). Instead, this question helped me focus on how God was offering me life! This changed everything.

This one, focused question – what is life-giving? -- orients me daily as I continue to grow and learn along this journey. Of course, this focus on what is life-giving does not mean the path will be easy or feel good all the time. I have walked through hardship and struggle and I’m sure there is more ahead, because I am human. But it does mean that I stay oriented toward “God’s upward call” as I take each step. I haven’t arrived, but I can hear God’s voice showing me the path of life as I live in this question and I’ve come to trust it.

Today ask yourself: what is life-giving for me? See what you notice, see what God shows you.