Misao
Okawa, the world’s oldest person, celebrated her 117th birthday last
week. When asked for her thoughts about
living that long, Okawa replied, “It seemed rather short!”
That should
not be surprising though. James 4:14 says,
“You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”. Job tells us that we are like flowers that
spring up and then wither away, or like shadows that do not endure (Job
14:2). The fact is that whether we live
to be 27, 77, or 117 years old, our lives seem to pass very quickly.
In light of
this, some people try to make the most of their time by doing whatever makes
them happy right now. In that case, “Live
your best life” usually translates into “Think mostly about yourself”. However, scripture presents a different
option. It says, “Since time is short,
why not spent it helping others?”
Paul
demonstrated this alternate attitude to the Corinthian church when he said, “I
will spend everything I have and I will spend my life for the good of your
souls” (2 Corinthians 12:15). Paul was
not thinking about what he could get, but rather what he could give. He was not thinking about his own interests,
but the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).
He was not being selfish, rather he was saying, “My life is short, so I
am going to spend it doing something that matters”.
It is not
that having fun or doing things that you enjoy is wrong. It is just that those things should not make
up the entire purpose of our lives because, in the end, they will not be very
satisfying.
God is
calling us to something bigger than just amusing ourselves.
“Give away
your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back
with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way” (Luke 6:38).
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