I want to live an abundant life. I want a life full of love, family, travel, accomplishments and more. Living an abundant life is all about me, right? It’s about me getting everything I want or is it?

Living an abundant life is about being a fully embodied Christian. When I lean into all that God calls me to and embrace his commands, love overflows. It overflows from God through me to others. It may call me to something challenging, difficult and even life threatening. Suddenly abundant is hard.

One only needs to look at the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to see a fully embodied Christian, living abundantly, and giving his life in the process.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:9-17 NIV).

Bonhoeffer took this scripture and lived it out by returning to Germany to actively oppose National Socialism during Hitler’s reign until his execution in April 1945. He was commanded to go and bear fruit. He was commanded to show love. He lived an abundant life. His version of abundance is different than mine.

It is a harsh reality to step out of my privileged comforts and acknowledge that true abundance comes in living the call God has on us to embody love even when it is incredibly hard. In the end it is about me just not in the way I thought.

What kind of abundant life do you strive for? Are you willing to love when it’s hard? Are you willing to follow God when it challenges your wants? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.