Are You Living Life to the Fullest? Or Just Getting By?
29 Aug 2011 4 Comments
in Devotionals2 Tags: chronic, Conditions and Diseases, God, Health, Jesus, Lord, rest ministries, rheumatoid arthritis
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
When was the last time you lived life to the fullest? What exactly does it mean to live life to the fullest? Last month I went camping with my family. My dad, husband, and son slept in the tent so my mom and I could have the camper. The second night, however, I was too sore to even climb the three steps into the camper and the best was too hard for me to sleep on, despite my extra mattress cushions.
After a moment of tears in frustration, my husband got on the phone and found me a bed at a nearby motel and drove me down there. “I’m just not a country girl anymore,” I told my husband. “I need a real bed, a hot shower to ease the joints and muscles, and no steps or stairs.” The next morning I returned to have coffee and breakfast by the campfire with everyone else. I felt much more alive! I felt “full” instead of just “empty.”
Living life to the fullest doesn’t mean giving up everything, but it may mean giving up some of our past activities. It may mean having a bed, not an air mattress. It truly means turning to God to fulfill our purpose, not looking for our meaning in other people or our career.
Jesus came to earth so that we may have life–to the fullest. How often are we just getting by in survival mode? How frequently do you think of yourself as just “hanging in there”? Jesus didn’t come to earth so we could just do pretty well under the circumstances. He came that we may have a full life!
Scripture also tells us that life will have challenges and problems. We don’t have to put a smile on our face every moment and claim that we are joyful when we simply are not. Yet, remember God’s sacrifice of His only Son, that He sent Him so that we can live life to the fullest. And then find some moments of joy, even if you create them yourself, so that you can say, “Thank You, Lord, for giving me a full life!”
Prayer: Oh, Jesus, You came that I may have a full life, but some days aren’t full of anything but surviving moment by moment, doctor’s appointment by lab tests. Help me remember the gift You gave so that I could have a full life and then show me the way to do so.
About the Author:
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and she has lived with rheumatoid arthritis since 1993. If you enjoy these devotionals, you may love her book Mosaic Moments: Devotionals for the Chronically Ill which includes devotions from about 20 writers and a journey through Lisa’s first ten years of living with a chronic illness.
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
When you consider yourself living a full life what does it look like?
Aug 29, 2011 @ 07:05:34
Great reminder about living life the fullest. To me, living life the fullest is accomplishing what Jesus told us to do, serve others unconditionally. But we tend to live in “survival mode” and follow the routine. We like to serve ourselves and live selfish lifestyles. We tend to worry about the past and the future, and not live the present, which is all we got.
Aug 29, 2011 @ 07:38:01
I have felt like I am “just hanging on” a lot recently. Constant fatigue and pain, some days worse than others. I have been in the hospital 9 times since Nov 2009. I have had 2 major surgeries, 2 blood infections (resulting in giving up my RA medication) and C-Diff since last Thanksgiving. My daughter tried to commit suicide after the death of her man. Now the doctors tell me I need to give up my 16 hr week job. I sure haven’t been living life to the fullest. I must try harder!
Aug 29, 2011 @ 09:41:50
Lynda, it sounds like you need a lot of TLC rather than to try harder. My heart goes out to you. You’ve had so much to cope with. Praying for you.
Aug 30, 2011 @ 07:17:36
Thank you so much for praying for me. I want to live victoriously for Christ and be a good testimony in spite of the situations I am in.