I took a bit of time last night to look through the shelves of books in our library room reflecting on what I was seeing. There was the biography/autobiography section, the history section, the theology section, the “church growth” section, the “Christian education” section and the list goes on and on. There are also book shelves in other locations of the house because the library walls are filled. I stopped from time to time to pick up a book I had not read in a long time, or another that I never remembered opening. Some books go back almost five decades to when I was in college. There are also the books which found their way into my life and to the shelves that are newcomers. Many of these books played an important role at various times in my life.
When I look at the selection of books located on these shelves, I can see a pattern, or process of journey related to my life and the focus of where I was in my thoughts, beliefs, words, intentions and actions during those times. Those books reflect not just a journey, but a life of varying experience and experiences. We should always seek to be an ongoing life time learner, with interests to be pursued and achievements to be reached.
My wife told me of a gentleman who died recently at the age of 105. He was still living his passion and active at it when he died. Those looking through his things discovered that at 105 years old he still had a planner that laid out things he wanted to do over the next five years. What an inspiration demonstrating how we ought to live life.
How about you? Are you continuing to pursue your passion and dreams, living your life to the full? Are you continuing to learn new things and achieve more in your life? What are your expectations of what the next five years will be like? What are you doing now to prepare for that reality?
Yesterday I had the privilege of participating in the annual Memorial Christmas service held in the county nursing for those who had loved ones pass away in the last year. One of the long term members of the congregation I co-pastor with my wife, lives in that nursing home. A number of months ago, my wife met with the family who had been called in to say their goodbyes to their mom and grandma, as she was not expected to live more than a day or so. The doctor and staff however were wrong in their assessment and this great saint of God continues to shine and influence those around her in such a marvellous way. She waved me over at the end of the service to tell me, she wanted to arrange a day when my wife, daughter and I would be able to come and have a meal at the nursing home with her. This is something the nursing home encourages it residents to do during the Christmas season.
What an encouragement to see someone almost everyone had given up on, continue to live with an attitude of love and joy and a desire to continue to move forward with her life.
This would be a good time to reflect on your attitude towards life and see where it’s taking you. The words of Jesus as recorded in John 10:10 tell us about Jesus’ intentions for our life. He said, “I have come so that they might have life and have it in abundance. Strong’s Greek & Hebrew Dictionary says the word translated in English “abundance” here means, ” (in the sense of beyond); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); by implication excessive.” Let’s demonstrate that kind of life daily.