Finding the Life You Were Made For

Jesus, the hero of the world’s most well-known spiritual narrative, offers us a mysteriously clear path to the good life: “Anyone who doesn’t pick up their cross and follow after me doesn’t deserve me. If you find your life you’ll lose it, and if you lose your life because of me you’ll find it” (Matt. 10:38–39).

To paraphrase: die to self, follow him, and in this journey of losing your life, you’ll find the life you were made for. At first glance, Jesus’s words seem harsh and antilife—I mean, what’s up with all this talk about death? But Jesus is not being harsh. He’s simply stating a…