What is life? Some say it is just a magazine or a game. Others say it is when the heart is beating and the brain is functioning. But as I sit and reflect, I cannot help but wonder if, for people, there is really more to life than just breathing and thinking. As we go about each day that we are blessed with, what do we do with it? Do we get stuck in such routine that it drives us insane if it gets a little off track? We are humans, objects that are able to enjoy freedom of choice, not robots who when manufactured are programmed to do a particular task or tasks.
It is interesting when people of various ages are asked what life is. If you ask a preschooler what is life, they will be more likely to respond with playing, friends, dolls, toys, etc. If you ask an adolescent what life is they usually respond with things like friends, parties, weekends, etc. As people mature and age, the thoughts of life change. A person in early adulthood may think life is career, money, possessions, and things of that sort. Moving in to mid-life and late life, it changes even more. Things like family, faith, love, service, things that involve more emotional attachments and long term benefits. But why wait until life is almost half over before realizing what life is? Are you 15, 20, 45, 70? We are all given one day at a time. It is how we use it that matters.
Jesus says in John 10:10 that He has come to give us life to the maximum. He can allow our cups to overflow! Have you ever wondered what it would be like living every day to the max? This is why Jesus came, to show us what it looks like. Then at the end of His time here, He tells us to do the same! In a sense, Jesus says, get up, love others not yourself, follow me, and make a difference in the world. That friend is life to the full!
James was on to something when he wrote James 4:14: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” It can vanish before we know it. We do not have to be diagnosed with an incurable disease. We are not guaranteed to live until a certain age. God delivers but He also takes away. Our physical life only happens once, live it. Live like you are dying. Love like you are dying. Serve like you are dying.
