Have I ruined my life?

Recently, my friend, Becca, and I have been engaged in a really interesting discussion with our philosophy professor about Christianity (what we believe, how it affects our lives, things like that) on our class's online discussion board. I have been extremely impressed by our professor's respectful handling of this subject, even though he has said that he doesn't believe any of the Christian beliefs to be true. He has asked great questions that have made us think deeply about our beliefs and has just overalled, listened to what we have to say, he hasn't twisted the words of the Bible to meet his agenda or anything like that. I just wanted to preface with that so you know that our discussion has not been the typical sort people have here at UNC.

One thing in particular that he said made me really think though, and I posted it as a Facebook status, but I wanted to go into my thoughts about it a little more here. In my professor's explanation of his own beliefs, he basically said that by believing in Christianity and rejecting the things of this world we have ruined our lives.

At first, I was pretty upset that he said this. I guess I don't really see any way that I have ruined my life by believing in Jesus, if anything it has made it a whole lot better. I was beginning to come up with a great rebuttal to what he had said and prove him wrong and all that, but then I started thinking about Jesus and what he would have said on the subject...

Matthew 16:24-26

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would saw his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?"

Matthew 10:37-39

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will loose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Mark 10:21

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me."

Matthew 10:22 (repeated in Mark and Luke)

"and you will be hated by all for my name's sake."

It seems Jesus agrees with my professor. Following Jesus requires ruining one's life. At least the life that they had before following Jesus. 

This is certainly true in my own life. I had a nice, selfish plan for my life before truly surrendering my life to Jesus. (It was a ridiculous plan, but it was certainly what I wanted) Then I had a true run-in with Jesus and my life looks a whole lot different than I ever could have imagined. 

Now I plan on living the rest of my life on the other side of the world from everything that I have known and loved. I will have to give up all sorts of creature comforts that people work their whole lives to obtain- nice clothes, a nice house, nice car, heck, even air conditioning (in a place that hits 125 F, this is a pretty big sacrifice). I may never get married, never have kids of my own. And even if I do, my kids will grow up seeing their grandparents once a year or on a computer screen. 

Most people would say that this is crazy. They would say that I have ruined my life. 

Most people would say that I have ruined my life simply by choosing to major in education, since that's not exactly a career where you make a lot of money. 

And maybe I have. I don't want to sugar-coat what God has called me to do, it will be hard. I got a small taste of how hard it will be to leave behind everyone that I know and love and move to the other side of the world when I was overseas this past summer. It will be lonely and tiring and frustrating, and living a selfish life just seems so much easier. 

So why do we do it? Why am I going to move to India? 

I may be ruining my life here on earth, but I have the promise of so much more waiting for me in heaven. 

Mark 10:29-30

Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sister or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."

Jesus may have ruined the plans that I had for my life, but in exchange, He has given me more joy and peace than I could have ever imagined. I love the girls in India more than my heart can stand sometimes. This calling is a blessing in my life, never a burden. I get to love girls who have never known true love before and I get to tell them about their heavenly Father who loves them more than I or anyone on earth ever could. I would take that over a fancy car, big house, and successful career any day. 

So my question: has Jesus ruined your life? Why don't you let him and just see what blessings he has in store for you.