Embrace Life

I came away from a recent mountain retreat with this simple revelation:

EMBRACE LIFE.

Sometimes life hands us the unpleasant: difficult, painful, drudgery. And we resist, thinking this isn’t what we signed up for. We want adventure. Excitement. Romance. At the very least something fun. It’s exhausting, resisting what we’re given.

But what if we were to approach life with a new perspective? Here’s the mantra I’m resolving to live by in the days to come:

“Let go. Trust God. Embrace life. Live fully.”

Simple. But not easy.

In order to embrace life and live fully, poured out of all the goodness we were given to bring into this life, we must give it out faithfully along the way. Let go. Share. Be a blessing. Trusting more will come as needed.

I have to admit that isn’t as easy for me as it is for some. Like my husband. He can go and do and give away, all day every day. Me? I love being really social, but only once in a while. The rest of the time I could live in seclusion on a mountain locked away safe from the world, and be perfectly happy: writing and gardening and reading my life away, with occasional gatherings of family and friends.

But God has a process in mind. It rarely meshes with our plans. Yet, over a lifetime of yielding, beautiful things are revealed. Sometimes beyond our wildest imagination.

So remember… It’s not about you. It’s about something bigger.

So let go. Trust God. Embrace life. Live fully.

Amen.

…bless – that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here’s what you do: say nothing evil or hurtful, snub evil and cultivate good, run after peace for all you’re worth. ~ 1 Peter 3:9-11 MSG