Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Character of our Lives

A few days ago I attended a memorial service for a man at my church. He passed away from a particular form of cancer that affected his heart, after living years longer than his doctors expected him to live. His story could have been tragic, but it was not. Why? Because he lived life fully, loved unconditionally, laughed often at himself and at life, and because he put all his hope in Christ.

This morning at Benedictions I came across this question: "What are you going to do today?" Maybe that doesn't sound profound, but it is when you read the answer: "I'm going to change the world." And then the next question: "How are you going to do that?"

I'll let you follow the link before I quote the entire post, but just to keep this train of seemingly random events going, about twenty minutes ago I read this in Eugene H. Peterson's Run With The Horses:

"Our lives cannot be read as newspaper reports on current events; they are unabridged novels with character and plot development, each paragraph essential for mature appreciation."

So, I feel as I'm in a place right now, a place that God has set up for me, like a table prepared with love, and my cup is running over with these thoughts that seem to come down to one: living life with the fullest joy, the fullest hope, the fullest love possible because the time is now.