Live Life Doing Things That Matter
Living a life that makes a difference won’t happen by accident. All of us this side of heaven’s door have the same 24 hours each day. We wake up with choices to make about how to spend our time. Will we be content sitting on the couch, snack bowl nearby, reading a book or watching TV until dinnertime? Or, will we help a neighbor or encourage a young reader? Will we exercise both mind and body? Will we be satisfied with our work or dream of bigger things to do? Some of you are already in the midst of your goals and others need to begin.
What matters to you?
Define what really matters to you. What is that one passion that won’t quiet down? What do you feel compelled to achieve? Defining a goal in tangible ways pushes what was only a dream imagined toward accomplishment. Without a goal to aim for, the days will be awash in mediocrity and opportunity lost. God’s plan for us is to grab hold of those goals and try our best to live life with purpose. However, God also gave humanity the gift of free choice. We get to choose how to live our lives.
Think about a world without electric lights or airplanes or the automobile or internet. People with passion for change created these things we most often take for granted. Consider a time when giving birth meant the mother could possibly die. Today this complication is rare. We credit changes in the medical field to men and women who longed for ways to protect the unborn and the mother’s life. This is true for so many, many, medical advances today. We are blessed with surgery centers, blood banks, transplants, heart valve replacements, and neonatal units for preemies, to mention a few.
Ignite Creativity
Creativity starts with a passion that moves us to action. Artists and builders, those who plant gardens or tend sheep are all fulfilling life passions. They are doing something that matters. Passion differs from one person to the next. That’s a good thing or we’d all be sidewalk sweepers or cooks.
All of us have the opportunity to make a difference. Financial readiness is not the biggest criteria. Having a hearts to “do” matters more than money. We might not build a rocket ship or design a microchip, but we can live doing what matters most. For me, doing what really matters includes cooking healthy meals, reading labels in the grocery store, taking time to listen, and praying for family and friends and people I’ll never meet. It also means writing words that find their way into print. Why? Because there are hurting people who need hope. My words often deliver encouragement and I’m delighted that they will outlive me.
No One is Beyond the Reach of Grace
I write so others can know there is a God who loves them and forgives every wrong. Shame holds some of us back from reaching our goals. But that’s not God’s idea. He offers forgiveness and grace. The Bible is full of stories where those who loved the Lord also had dark moments and even failed. David was an adulterer and murderer. Abraham lied. On more than one occasion he put his wife in great danger. The apostle Paul, once known as Saul, called himself the “chief sinner”. That was before he met Jesus. No one is beyond the reach of grace.
