A Reflection for Lent, GBHEM Lenten series

March 17, 2025 | By Robert W. Brewer

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10 (NRSV) 

Following Jesus doesn’t mean that life will always be easy nor will it be free of pain and sorrow. When bad things happen to us or those we love, we might question why God has abandoned us. It can feel like God has forsaken us. The struggles we endure can make us doubt everything or feel like our faith is absent.

Yet Jesus never promises an easy life, but an abundant life.

Faith development theorists will tell you that faith isn’t really something that comes and goes, but it is the place where we put our full trust. Sometimes our faith is misplaced or oriented toward things that do not last. It is fine to have faith in our family to care for us. We have faith in friends to be there for us. We have faith in our car to get us where we need to go. We have faith in money to make our life easier. We can even have faith in institutions and organizations, but our faith in those places only get us so far.

Photo: Paul Jeffrey

College can be one of the first times a person faces a crisis of faith. I had a student a few years ago who devoted his life to playing a sport but in college became injured and could no longer play. He felt like his life had ended. He questioned his worth and value. He put his faith fully in the ability to play a sport he loved, and when he could no longer play, his faith was shattered.

It took some time, but he began to heal. He prayed, went to Bible study and chapel. He became involved in serving others, in giving back to his community, and volunteered regularly in our community service office. He reoriented his life toward something greater and even more fulfilling than he thought possible. Abundant life is not about getting everything we desire; it is about living with a full trust in a God who will always go with us, even when life doesn’t go our way. This abundant life is a gift and trust in this gift is where our full faith should reside.

In this Scripture, Jesus says that he is a good shepherd who cares for us, watches out for us and goes with us. This good shepherd endured humiliation, rejection and death. The good shepherd experienced the worst of humanity, so that we might know when we go through hardships and pain, even the valley of the shadow of death, that we have nothing to fear. The good shepherd goes with us.

Maybe this is what abundant life looks like. It is a continuous reorienting of our life away from those things that are fleeting and toward the unwavering love of God in Jesus Christ. We are not promised a life free of trouble, but if we put our trust in the promise of the good shepherd whose love endures forever, then we can have the faith to face any thief that may come our way.