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"I
have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
~ Jesus (John 10:10)
Full
Days
For
most of us, life is very full. Work, home, spouse, children, and
church all require our time. How often do we get to the end of a day
and want to just collapse in an arm-chair for a while? Silently. And
watch some senseless television program to soothe our spirits and ease
our exhaustion.
Full
days.
Yet,
in a quiet moment before the cable programs lull us into a complete
coma, we know that "living a full life" and "living life
to the full" are two very different experiences. We have an uneasy
feeling that we do too much of the former and too little of the latter.
When
Jesus declared that He came that we may
have life and have it to the full, He was not offering to
intensify the busyness of our lives but to guide us into a new quality
of life. Have we confused the two? Have we subtly swallowed the suggestion
that busyness equals worthiness, that hurry is a synonym for holy, and
rush is a legitimate alternative to relationship?
We're
in bad shape!
Importantly,
life to the full does not depend on our circumstances but on His
Presence. Do we live fully aware of Him? The cancer patient and the CEO
can live today equally "to the full." Conversely, the
slum-dweller and the jetsetter can equally miss the essence of the day.
Life to the full is not about our experiences but His Presence. It
transcends our circumstances.
We
don't live to the full by having everything we want or ever dreamed
for. Fullness of life is fundamentally a spiritual issue.
We
may feel stressed, worried, heart-broken, exhilarated, or excited,
but none of these can make or break the day God intends for us -- a day
with Him. Fun is fleeting. Pleasure is passing. In reality, some of the
most "afflicted" people live more fully than the rest of us.
They see what we miss, because they have His eyes.
How
then shall we live?
Will
we finish today declaring it another "full day" or quietly
grateful that we've lived it to the full? Will we trade the hamster
wheel for a train ticket? It's not about money or material things. It's
all about the Journey with Him.
In
HOPE –
David
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