Living Christianly: Under the Lordship of Christ, Everything Matters

The question people ask me again and again is a familiar one: “So what do you do?”

While the question is routine, something about my answer seems to surprise many people. Typically, my answer sounds something like this:

“I’m on the leadership team for a faith-based college, Dordt University. What we do every day is help students understand how following Jesus Christ makes a difference in every area of life. That’s not just for our theology majors; it’s for all our students, including those in engineering, nursing, agriculture, business, and so on. That’s a major focus of every student’s coursework.”

That’s when the questions start—usually beginning with a puzzled look and a few extra seconds of silence before the words come. Most people are just curious; some simply aren’t sure what to make of this or say next.

One conversation partner was memorably skeptical and didn’t hesitate to challenge me. We were sitting on a bench at the foot of St. John’s Cathedral in the city in the Netherlands colloquially known as Den Bosch. My husband was enjoying the tour of the soaring Gothic spires; I was glad to be glued to the ground talking with strangers rather than facing my fear of heights. I had been especially enthusiastic in my description of our Christ-centered mission at Dordt University, thinking that a fellow traveler visiting a cathedral might resonate with my perspective. I was wrong.

“Engineering?! Christian engineering? What do you do, teach them to make cross-shaped bridges?” Perhaps he was just being direct, but his questions seemed to have an edge to them. I laughed and continued the conversation, trying to share specific examples from my admittedly limited knowledge of engineering (since he had earlier told me that he was an engineer), but the man wasn’t easily persuaded.

I didn’t sense that I changed his mind that day about the connection between faith and life beyond the walls of the cathedral. Perhaps our conversation planted a seed of curiosity for him, but it’s hard to say for sure. I guess I’ll never know.

What I do know is that I left that conversation wanting to be better prepared for the next one like it, and for all the conversations after that. As the old hymn says, “I love to tell the story of Jesus and His love.” I want to proclaim that Jesus is Lord, and when I say that the Lordship of Christ matters in every area of life, I want to be ready with specific examples about what it means to live Christianly. I have those stories from my own life, but I also want to have stories and insights that will help me to connect and open conversations with people whose professional and personal lives differ greatly from my own.

If you are reading this today, I trust that there is a good chance that you share this same desire. Hopefully you already see some ways that following Jesus makes a difference in your life, not only within your church, but also in your home, your work, your friendships, and your everyday habits and decisions.

Maybe, like me, you are hungry to keep learning more about how our Lord created the world and is at work in it today as our Redeemer. Maybe, like me, you want to be challenged to think more deeply about what it means to follow Christ in thought, word, and deed, wherever life may take you. If so, I hope you’ll keep coming back to In All Things. Week after week, you’ll find short pieces about the redeeming work of Christ in all areas of life, entries that help you to grow your imagination for Christian living that is responsive to the call of Christ.

The In All Things blog and podcast are rooted in our Dordt University mission: “As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt equips students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life.” In turn, Dordt’s mission—and therefore the mission of In All Things—is grounded in Scripture, including these words from Colossians 1:15-17:

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He Himself is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Our hope as we educate students at Dordt University and share insights from our faculty and friends through In All Things is that we live faithfully into this vision. Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, everything matters. We hope you’ll join us each week by reading and listening to learn more about how we can live Christianly in all things until our Lord and Savior makes all things new.