“But it seemed to me that this was the way we all lived:
full to the brim with gratitude and joy one day,
wrecked on the rocks the next.
Finding the balance between the two
was the art and the salvation.” — Elizabeth Berg
It amazes me how quickly I take this life I live for granted. How quickly I dumb it down to being something small. Life is HUGE. And we are not invincible. I haven’t had anything major happen to me recently, but I do know the reality that it only takes one instant for change to occur. Whether it’s a mistake, or an accident, or the unexpected. I can’t live life carelessly, and I don’t want my loved ones too either. Anyone for that matter. We are all human and that is where we fall on the same page, always.
A couple months ago one of our staff members found out he has leukemia. He’d been in the hospital for a couple of weeks for chemo, and then found out his youngest brother had died in a car accident. I only said Hello to him one time and he was here for an entire month. That makes me sad. I feel challenged to engage with people around me, make strangers acquaintances and then friends when I can. Touch people with the light of Jesus that’s inside me.
Life is a gift. And if you’re a believer in Jesus then that statement means 10x more.
I get bogged down by details, or become self-absorbed, and forget the truth: Life is short, and it is to be lived as well as we are able. It is to be made much of. It is to be enjoyed, marveled at, and respected. In Christ there is freedom, confidence, love, and mercy.
Every day that passes is one that won’t ever happen again. I am a frail human. Not invincible. The end of life will come, for everyone, including my dearest of loved ones, and to be honest that makes my heart hurt. The reality, the unpredictability. But then… we’ll be with Jesus. And that will be new life, joyous and glorious.
Until that day I want to embrace life as much as my humanness can. Balance between the joy and the rocks. Connect with people, share the Gospel of Jesus with people I encounter. Love without limits. Let the petty go. Be wise with my choices. Humble before God as I glorify and thank and love Him with my heart, head, and hands. Experiencing Him however I can. It sounds so simple writing it out, when in reality I’ll need the Lord to help me. I ask Him for an eternal perspective, I ask Him to make me more self-aware. I ask Him to transform my heart and to capture it even more.
Life on this earth is too precious not to live it as fully as possible.
I encourage myself, and anyone who reads this, to be brave with life. Be brave by recognizing how special and beautiful it is to be alive. Brave by being yourself and not apologizing for it. Brave by choosing joy. Brave by letting the right people in to see the deepest of your soul. Brave by acknowledging that you are enough. Brave by going after your dreams. Brave by loving people well. Brave by having hope when the day seems bleak. Brave by choosing to take the high road. Brave by relishing in the simplest of moments. Brave by working hard at what you do. Brave by putting others first. Brave by trying new things. Brave by stepping out of your comfort zone.
Be brave with your life.
PS – I really like this picture captured the day I graduated from college. My sister, sharing in the joy of the day with and for me. Life.
