Life

Life is more than a heartbeat. I heard that on a TV show, and it applies quite nicely to modern-day America. The United States of America is a study in contradiction. The political left opposes capital punishment, but endorses abortion. The political right is the other way around. Neither of the two major parties puts value on life as “life.” On the other hand, the majority of Americans will tell you they value life. There’s nothing more important than life, and “quality of life” is a close second. I contend that’s wrong thinking. The Bard wrote, “A coward dies many times before his death. The brave die but once.” That’s what I’m talking about when I say there’s more to life than a heartbeat. HOW we live is far more important than THAT we lived. Think about the people in history you know about. They did great things, and many of them didn’t live very long. Others lived to a ripe old age, but it’s HOW they lived that’s remembered. Everyone remembers military leaders – Washington and Hitler. Gengis Kahn and Winston Churchill. There are authors, poets, artists, statesmen who never took up arms, and peace activists. How they lived was far more important than their mere existence. That’s what God wants. He wants us to live greatly. The Bible teaches us He wants us to live life to the full. BE great. Don’t simply exist, but live a life that resounds through the ages – if not in this life, than in the next. You’ll get a few decades here. You’ll get eternity on the other side of this life. HOW you live here will determine how you live there – paradise, or punishment. If your attitude here is getting what you can (“He who dies with the most toys, wins”), you’ve already had your reward and won’t get it on the other side. If you live your life to benefit others, you won’t die with the most toys, but you’ll certainly be rewarded in the life to come.