Life

In hearing the news last week about my stepmoms cancer returning there is a question I have been pondering all week. What is life? I mean what are we really pursuing that makes everything so rushed all the time? Is it really that important? Life for so many people are the things we come home to. Our vehicles, boats, furniture, t.v's, computers and all the other toys we have. I mean we passionately pursue all the things that can be bought with money. There is also the pursuit of acceptance. We want to be accepted at work, church, and among friends. We also pursue acknowledgement. We all in our own ways want to be patted on the back every once in a while. Therefore we work endlessly for others approval. We pursue success. No one wants to be a failure. This so many times drives us to a sacrifice everything to be successful mindset. All these pursuits and not one brings true happiness.

So whats life all about?

Life to me is not what you come home to, but who you come home to. I will be the first to tell you that my wife and I don't always see eye to eye. (Aren't you surprised) However despite my shortcomings, I know she loves me and despite her hiccups, I love her more than anybody on this earth. My two boys are without a doubt the engine that drives our vehicle. They are a joy that only God can provide. Life is something to be lived not done. It is to be enjoyed, not endured. I told my wife a couple of weeks ago that I was ready to have fun again. What fun you ask? The kind that says it's ok to have a water fight in the kitchen. One that says its alright to stay up late to play a game of monopoly. The kind that says if we ruin a good pair of clothes playing in the mud, no big deal. The kind of fun that says stopping at the playground is much more important than rushing home to check email or watch t.v. A kind that says a trip to Mc Donalds or the ice cream shop is more valuable than a million books or phone calls that have to be made. A kind of fun that says we can get in the car and drive for hours only to end up where we started. A fun that makes you laugh until you cry. A fun that makes time pass by and hard times seem bearable. That is what life is to me. A wife saying I love you and am proud of you. A son saying your my best friend. A baby staring at you until he laughs. The smell of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out on the boat with your family. The sound of jungle book blaring in your car. The sound of your spouses alarm clock waking you up, just to remember you get to sleep next to your life long partner. This my friends is what I believe Jesus meant when He said "I have come to give you life abundantly" I don't know about you, but I choose life. I have come to the realization lately that when my job is over and done, when I am a retired pastor, all the churches I will serve will have replaced me. I will have become a distant memory in their life. I can promise one thing my wife will be the one on the porch in a rocking chair next to me. My kids will be the ones calling daily to check on dad. Again if I never gain all that I pursue, I will already have more than I could ever ask for.

Until Next Time,

Nathan