US-based CAROL ROUND reflects on our search for meaning with a nod to the Christmas classic, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’…
Claremore, Oklahoma, US
Are you drinking of the living water? PICTURE: Austin Kehmeier/Unsplash
“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water’” – John 4:10 (NIV).
In November, I celebrated my 70th birthday. I’m not afraid to admit my age, because as I told someone recently, with age, life just gets better. While younger people might find that amusing, they still have much to learn.
When I was in my 40s, I began to question many things about my life, including the realisation my life was probably close to being half over. I don’t like to look at the glass as half empty. Like my life, I prefer to think of the glass as half full – and the best is yet to come.
“We long for a more fulfilling life, one rich with meaning and joy. We can seek it in material things, but the satisfaction we get is as fleeting as snowflakes that melt when they hit warm concrete.”
However, a six-week study at our church made me realise I was still thirsty for more. I want my glass completely full and running over.
In Treasures of the Transformed Life: Satisfying Your Soul’s Thirst for More, John Ed Mathison talks about our need for more. Today, we have so many choices life can be downright confusing. However, no matter how good life is, we thirst for more. Sometimes we don’t really know what is missing.
We long for a more fulfilling life, one rich with meaning and joy. We can seek it in material things, but the satisfaction we get is as fleeting as snowflakes that melt when they hit warm concrete.
In the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey. Due to a series of circumstances, George has settled for life in his small hometown, instead of going off to see the world.
One Christmas Eve, George attempts suicide because he thinks he is a failure. He wishes he had never been born. George gains the attention of Clarence, his guardian angel, sent to help him in his hour of need. The movie, told through flashbacks, reveals the people whose lives have been touched by George and the difference he has made to the community in which he lives.
“Strange, isn’t it?” says Clarence. “Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
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Clarence is right. We leave an awful hole when we don’t live our lives according to God’s plan. Not only do we shortchange ourselves, but we also miss God’s best for our lives. Our lives, no matter how rich with blessings, are never complete until we realise we were born to give ourselves away.
As Mathison says, “I’m talking about giving of yourself, your time, and your talents, just for the joy of knowing it was what you were created to do.”
During separate conversations with two different individuals recently, I experienced what I call, God moments. It was during our discussions when we realised God had brought us together for a reason. Humbled by God’s awesome plan, I shivered. I could see God’s fingerprints all over my life.
Whatever our age, whatever our gifts, we can experience the hand of God at work. When we do, we can rest assured God has a plan for each of us. And that’s what makes life worth living.
