There is a joke around OneLife at Lodestar that often before I read any passage of Scripture, I pause to say, “This is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible”. They’ve caught on to my humorous attempt at communicating the importance of anchoring our whole life to the words of life. One of the passages I’ve said this of most is Philippians 1, specifically the sixth verse. Paul says, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV) Philippians 1:6 is a big reason that I love the gap year model and a big reason that I love OneLife. I know that was a big leap, so let me explain in a bit of a list of why I love what I get to do every day with students in light of one of “my favorite verses in the whole Bible”.
- Trajectory Matters – Every single day, I get to remind students that their faith, life, relationships,
work, and so much more starts with Christ. He is the One who began the work and sets the trajectory or aim of all of life. I have a healthy understanding that OneLife isn’t all of life – it’s only 9 months! So our goal at OneLife is to simply help set the anchor point and trajectory of how to apprentice ourselves to Jesus for the long haul. My joy every day is to help students set their aim on a life of Christlikeness according to the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- Process over Product – In a highly productive world that often measures people on what “have
you done for me lately”, we get to reorient to these words in Philippians and realize we are process people. We are told that He (our Lord) will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus, but are often trying to measure ourselves on being a perfect follower of Jesus. OneLife is place to learn, to stretch muscles so to speak of following Jesus. And… not getting it perfect or spot on always is part of the process. It is a learning experiment in grace, a willingness to be honest with ourselves and others, and a process of owning it rather than hiding it. The truth is, there’s a long process between “began a good work” and “will bring it to completion” in Philippians 1. OneLife is a great place to learn what this life of process over product looks like.
- Actual Hope – One of my favorite transformations among young people is when they see life
with actual hope, that is firm and secure. Often our hope is tied to wishful thinking or something that might happen. Paul’s words to the church at Philippi and to us some 2000 years later are ones of significant hope. When we grasp that Christ “will” do it, we have a confident hope in what is to come and do not settle into defeated thinking. It also keeps us from being earners in the kingdom. By that I mean, we often tie our hope to what we can do or accomplish. Seeing actual hope, that Christ will complete the work in me, keeps me from anchoring my hope in me rather than in Him. Colossians 3 tells us that as sure as He was raised, we “also will appear with Him in glory” (ESV) That’s good hope, especially for a generation that many are saying are waning in hope.
There is a lot that happens within our gap year – teaching, experiences, presentations, travel, and much more. It is all very intentional and can get pretty complex behind the scenes orchestrating what happens in the day to day. But, I have come back to the simplicity of Philippians 1:6, one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible, a lot during my time leading our OneLife site at the Lodestar Mountain Inn. If my students learn that trajectory matters, that they are process over product, and that there is actual hope in the One who will bring them to completion – all of that intentionality and complexity has been a good work.
-Scott Boyer