“By the time you know what to call it, you were neck deep in it. . . . You’d noticed how guys aren’t gals and dogs aren’t cats and pizza sure beats spinach. And then, somewhere in the midst of it all, it hit you. . . . You realized that days are more than ice cream trips, homework, and pimples. This is called life. And this one is yours.”- Max Lucado
In Chapter 1 (“Our Once-in-History Opportunity”) of Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference, Mac Lucado observes that you have a life. Even if you didn’t request one.
A first day. A last day. And untold days in between. Yes, God’s given you an honest-to-goodness human life. And some significant life event caused you to realize this. And, unlike material possessions, it’s impossible to recycle your life. Pastor Lucado explains:
“You’ve been given your life. No one else has your version. You’ll never bump into yourself on the sidewalk. You’ll never meet anyone who has your exact blend of lineage, loves, and longings. Your life will never be lived by anyone else.”
Yet, Max notes, it seem like something’s pressed the life accelerator. Life races by. So, you wonder, how might God use me? How do I live in such a way that my life matters/
Hence, Pastor Lucado provides one hundred and twenty answers – the charter members of the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:15). But, they possessed no special abilities. Just a fire in the belly to change the world. As a result, Max exhorts, listen to the book of Acts. Hear:
- baptismal waters splashing
- sermons echo off the temple walls
- the spoon scrape the bowl as another hungry mouth gets fed
- doors opening and walls collapsing
- the ancient prejudice between Jew and Samaritan tumble down
- the thick and spiked division between Jew and Gentile crash
- partitions that quarantined demolished
In conclusion, Max offers words of hope. He reminds us that a great God created us to do great works. Therefore, God invites us to outlive our lives on earth as well as in heaven.
Today’s question: When did you find yourself neck deep in life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Calling Joe Pot Roast – common folk”
