When you think about your life, what are the first thoughts that come up? Do you immediately start in on what your goals are and how you accomplished them? Or didn’t accomplish them yet?  Do you think about family or upbringing? Do you think about friendships? Did your mind jump to purpose? Are you thinking about the mental checklist? What is checked or the items left unchecked?  This simple question may have taken your mind in a whirlwind… for some it might have caused a level of anxiety…. pause…. Breathe. 

This term “life” can take our mind in so many directions. I want us to talk about it. Let’s explore it together. Of course we will do it respectfully. The Oxford Dictionary defines life as the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity and continual change preceding death… My eyes lock in on the portion that says functional activity and continual change preceding death. After repeating it to myself about a million times the point that I land upon is your life is not linear.  Life is so multifaceted and there are naturally different places where you can get stuck on.  May I suggest to you that at no point does one moment or even two moments where you falter define you. 

Changing your perspective to a journey approach gives you permission to keep going. The journey lends to the thought that whatever challenges will give you a valuable lesson that can be applied to several situations in the future. What’s the point of this journey approach? Growth is the point. Brush yourself off, learn from the successes as well as the mistakes and keep it pushing. The portion of the definition of life that says “…including the capacity for growth” denotes that each lesson increases your capacity and causes growth. Growth is not measured in cups or ounces not even in milliliters, but it is measured in a change of perspective-even if it is slight. Growth is personal to every individual and should be celebrated. Life is something given to us by God with the thoughts of having an abundant life with Him ( John 10:10). This “life” its talking about is zoe life….living life to the fullest.  Do it and do it on purpose.

Pick a point to celebrate.  What are you celebrating?  I want to hear about it.