…Opening To…

For life, with all it yields of joy and woe
And hope and fear,—believe the aged friend,—
Is just our chance o’ the prize of learning love. (Robert Browning, “A Death in the Desert”)

…Listening In…

I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. (John 10:10; context)

…Filling Up…

When we accept that eternal life happens even as we live our earthly lives, we can begin to see the corner of the edge of the expanse of the abundance that God offers to us. When we turn off the autopilot, we can break out of the rut of living vaguely, indistinctly – which, in truth, is not really living, but merely existing. Jesus offers us abundant life, but choosing abundance is not a one-time decision. Rather, the choice is akin to choosing your child’s name. You pick it once; you write it on the birth certificate once. But then you call your child that name for the rest of his or her life.

In the same way, choosing abundance involves actively naming the paths down which our decisions and our outlooks can lead us. We can walk down the path of scarcity or the path of abundance, the path of fear or the path of love, the path of destruction or the path of creation, the path of despair or the path of joy. Choosing abundance means that we follow Jesus down the life-affirming paths of love, creation, and joy. He’ll be with us either way, I firmly believe, but when we follow our own wills down the life-denying paths of fear, destruction, and despair, then Jesus needs to trample through the undergrowth to retrieve us. The good news is this: no matter how far down the life-denying paths we find ourselves, simply turning around makes them life-affirming paths. (The reverse is also true, but let’s not dwell on that now.)

When we choose abundance, we participate in the fullness of the eternal life that God yearns for each of us. Living this kind of life keeps us from lapsing into the background of existence. So choose to accept the gift of living fully into the being that God has made. Choose abundance. After all, God has already chosen you.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the source of all life and the cause of creation. Help me to live my life so that I always trend toward the life-affirming path of abundance, love, creation, and joy. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, ready to step into the spotlight of my life and shine in the brilliance of your presence.