ALIVE!
“The glory of God is man fully alive.” St. Irenaeu
This week I celebrated my 26th birthday. For 26 years I have crawled and then walked on this earth being, what we would call, alive. As the day approached that marked another year of life I started getting really stressed! I suppose this was a culmination of many things; health issues, a new school year at work, and the daunting task of deciding what to do to celebrate. But beyond all that, I have this fear, and almost dread, as another year passes by and I'm left becoming more and more, as some of my friends would say, "old as dirt". It's not that I cannot appreciate the years I've had. Or that I don't see how they have in so many ways helped me to find out who I am. Or that 26 is even that old for that matter. But, in so many ways, I am left at these markers in my life wondering what I have to show for my time here on earth.
On the surface, I was not exactly looking forward to my big day, yet inside, I still longed for that celebration of life. Birthdays, and life I believe, should be fully celebrated. But maybe, in my worldly state of mind I was looking for the wrong source for that celebration. Friends and family, all spoiled me on my special day! Showering me with gifts and surprises and kind words and love. And I am beyond thankful for all that they did. Yet, somehow even after all of that, I still wasn't exactly sure of what in my life was worth celebrating. That is until I encountered Christ face to face that evening. It was difficult to understand how, even with thoughtful gifts and affirmations and happy messages, I did not feel complete. But to me, this so blatantly verified that the only thing each of us needs on our birthday, on any day, is the love of Christ.
For so many days of my life, I have desired things of this world. I get to the point of almost being obsessed. Whether its a cup of coffee, a cute boy, or that filthy tv show, I fix my eyes on something and it becomes all I think about. And all that I want. And, although I was not exactly looking forward to it, I wanted my birthday to be a reminder that I'm alive, that I'm living, and that I'm am important in this world. Gifts, and celebrations are lovely, but in so many ways I was let down because those things cannot make me feel alive. Christ, in all that He is, is the only gift I absolutely needed. So why wouldn't He make sure that on my birthday, I realized that?
Each morning, we wake up to face another day. And tomorrow, and the day after that, I want to know without a doubt what I'm living for. So many times I've rolled out of bed a slave to my obsessions. I just have to watch the end of that episode from last night, I need to make myself look cute for the day, or I can't survive without that cup of coffee. And for awhile those things may occupy me or keep me satisfied for a length of time. But they are not life giving. They don't make me fully alive. Waking up in the morning, ready to live His mission, is what does. The world constantly tries to give me new reasons to live, but unless I'm living for Him, I'm not alive, and my life isn't worth celebrating.
My mission here, my purpose in this world, has so little to do with the things of this world, and so much to do with where I am striving to go, Heaven. If I don't wake up and know that's what I'm living for, I won't be alive. If I don't make every waking moment a chance to move toward eternity, I'm not alive. If, in my daily life, I don't take chances and risks for God, if I don't live out His mission for me, and if I don't take the steps, big or small, toward accomplishing that, I'm not alive. But the truth is, I want to be alive! And I know in every moment I am being called by Christ to live. And for me, that's enough to wake up every morning with a purpose and a reason to celebrate that I'm alive and living for an eternity of life with Christ.
Everyday, God is calling us to life. He's calling us to celebrate all that we are and all that He has created us to be. Don't wait for your birthday to celebrate life, live every moment striving to be alive through His presence in you. Wake up each morning, living for eternity!
This week I celebrated my 26th birthday. For 26 years I have crawled and then walked on this earth being, what we would call, alive. As the day approached that marked another year of life I started getting really stressed! I suppose this was a culmination of many things; health issues, a new school year at work, and the daunting task of deciding what to do to celebrate. But beyond all that, I have this fear, and almost dread, as another year passes by and I'm left becoming more and more, as some of my friends would say, "old as dirt". It's not that I cannot appreciate the years I've had. Or that I don't see how they have in so many ways helped me to find out who I am. Or that 26 is even that old for that matter. But, in so many ways, I am left at these markers in my life wondering what I have to show for my time here on earth.
On the surface, I was not exactly looking forward to my big day, yet inside, I still longed for that celebration of life. Birthdays, and life I believe, should be fully celebrated. But maybe, in my worldly state of mind I was looking for the wrong source for that celebration. Friends and family, all spoiled me on my special day! Showering me with gifts and surprises and kind words and love. And I am beyond thankful for all that they did. Yet, somehow even after all of that, I still wasn't exactly sure of what in my life was worth celebrating. That is until I encountered Christ face to face that evening. It was difficult to understand how, even with thoughtful gifts and affirmations and happy messages, I did not feel complete. But to me, this so blatantly verified that the only thing each of us needs on our birthday, on any day, is the love of Christ.
For so many days of my life, I have desired things of this world. I get to the point of almost being obsessed. Whether its a cup of coffee, a cute boy, or that filthy tv show, I fix my eyes on something and it becomes all I think about. And all that I want. And, although I was not exactly looking forward to it, I wanted my birthday to be a reminder that I'm alive, that I'm living, and that I'm am important in this world. Gifts, and celebrations are lovely, but in so many ways I was let down because those things cannot make me feel alive. Christ, in all that He is, is the only gift I absolutely needed. So why wouldn't He make sure that on my birthday, I realized that?
Each morning, we wake up to face another day. And tomorrow, and the day after that, I want to know without a doubt what I'm living for. So many times I've rolled out of bed a slave to my obsessions. I just have to watch the end of that episode from last night, I need to make myself look cute for the day, or I can't survive without that cup of coffee. And for awhile those things may occupy me or keep me satisfied for a length of time. But they are not life giving. They don't make me fully alive. Waking up in the morning, ready to live His mission, is what does. The world constantly tries to give me new reasons to live, but unless I'm living for Him, I'm not alive, and my life isn't worth celebrating.
My mission here, my purpose in this world, has so little to do with the things of this world, and so much to do with where I am striving to go, Heaven. If I don't wake up and know that's what I'm living for, I won't be alive. If I don't make every waking moment a chance to move toward eternity, I'm not alive. If, in my daily life, I don't take chances and risks for God, if I don't live out His mission for me, and if I don't take the steps, big or small, toward accomplishing that, I'm not alive. But the truth is, I want to be alive! And I know in every moment I am being called by Christ to live. And for me, that's enough to wake up every morning with a purpose and a reason to celebrate that I'm alive and living for an eternity of life with Christ.
Everyday, God is calling us to life. He's calling us to celebrate all that we are and all that He has created us to be. Don't wait for your birthday to celebrate life, live every moment striving to be alive through His presence in you. Wake up each morning, living for eternity!
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