LIFE ANEW

The basic premise with this is that you have life to start with. What constitutes life is a matter of opinion and theory I suppose, but I've always felt it is more than breath and pulse.

I think it is that state of existence where you have passion and a sense of your consciousness truly being awake and functioning. Those can be rare moments in the daily routine of life.

Despite the illusions painted in movies, I'm not sure life was ever intended to be one long party. We certainly can appreciate the moments it is exhilarating from those that aren't because they make them more special. Which probably helps us to appreciate why they could never be ever second of a life.

But regardless of the fact that many people have lives with way too many moments that are admittedly absent of excitement, I think it is the means we use to find some flame of joy that truly matter. And naturally Satan is more that ready to tap us on the shoulder with a few suggestions.

Like so many parts of life, I feel God can touch this part of life. He might not take us to some place where life becomes our image of happiness, but if we are obedient to his leading there is so often we do find out how is choice was the best.

Sometimes because we are so capable of making wrong choices, God will take time to let us stumble and error that we might learn. Then once we've gotten passed the need for always doing things the hard way, he can gently and lovingly guide us to some point of discovery and life that is completely different from our past.

How sad it is for those who resist some change God desires for their lives. They may even live in comfort and have all the outward evidences to suggest they are successful.

But the truth is, deep down, they are dying. Their essence is out of balance because they are only acting out what they think they want out of life. They follow a path of their own choice, stubbornly resisting the tug of God's spirit to lead in a different direction.

Eventually, of course, the sadness consumes. General comments are replaced by the steady dialogue of criticism and bitterness. Breath continues, but passion has long since fled.

I am reminded of the time the Lord brought Abraham to the land he was later given as a promise. In some ways that particular land wasn't as appealing or fertile perhaps as some others in the area. But I think the miracle and importance is not the location, but that by faith in God, he can alter or change anywhere into a garden.

And hopefully we can remember that if the place we are brought in our lives doesn't at first glance look all that blessed and bountiful. Life anew truly begins when it rises by the wings of the Lord's spirit to see beyond our own thinking.