I started reading The Good Life, and I liked some of the insights that Chuck Colson talked about in Chapters 2 and 3. I didn't know much about the Watergate scandal and how it all started, so I thought that was an interesting read in Chapter 2. But even more interesting were the "great paradoxes" he mentioned in Chapter 3 -- epiphanies he had about what it means to live the "good life."
The Four Great Pardoxes
- Out of suffering and defeat often comes victory.
- We have to lose our lives to save them.
- Freedom lies not in conforming to the world's expectations or even realizing what we take to be our deepest wishes; it lies in following the call on our lives.
- We have to understand the evil in ourselves before we can truly embrace the good in life.
Q1: In Chapter 3, Chuck Colson lists four great paradoxes he realized during his time in prison and afterward. Which of these four great paradoxes did you find most interesting? Have you experienced any of these paradoxes before?
Q2: In the movie Saving Private Ryan, a platoon of 8 men venture out in war-torn France during World War II with a mission: save one man and bring him home, even at the cost of their own lives. Are any of us worthy of the sacrifices others have made on our behalf? Why do you think we feel the need to be worthy?
Q3: What does it mean to live a good life? Share your own thoughts, and/or insights you have heard from others.
Tell us your thoughts! :)
Oh man, I can't believe that Christmas is tomorrow already! Time flies.. soon it's going to be the new year! It hasn't been too cold here in Saratoga. In fact, it cleared up today from the rain so my family went out and played mini-golf. It was pretty fun, even though I came out in last place. :P
ReplyDeleteHm.. of the 4 paradoxes, I can definitely relate to the first one - "Out of suffering and defeat often comes victory." A few years ago, I remember really resonating with Psalm 73:
"But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...
When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you."
I was really struggling to even want to follow God because I wanted to live a more comfortable life in which I didn’t have to face my sins. It was just so painful to see my selfishness, pettiness, and jealousy of my closest friends come out daily through my curtness and reclusivity. I remember being angry at God for the first time. However, it was because my sins were more obvious and exposed that I realized with a lot more clarity how much I needed forgiveness and cleansing – namely, God’s forgiveness and cleansing. Even though it was a dark period in my walk with God and a difficult time in which I felt completely defeated for days on end, I was able to come out of that period of time with newfound victory through claiming God’s promise of forgiveness.