Life Abundantly

"I have come that you may have Life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10
These words of Jesus come often to my mind and ring in my ears.
A calling.
A promise
And a challenge.
Life abundantly.

We have a roof over our heads, warm beds, plenty of food and clothing. We have health and adequate finances. We have each other and we have many others--friends and family that love us and that we love. We have happy memories and future possibilities.
Is this the abundant life?
Certainly our life is abundant with relative material wealth as well as non material possessions.
But what if our our health is one day threatened, our financial peace shattered, our bodily comfort interrupted or even lost forever?
What if our worldly security is gone?
Or what if in the day to day and the monotonous, the fullness of life is lost or forgotten?

Jesus came and lived among us to give us true Life, Abundant Life.
This abundance is not in the measure of things. It is not contained in my own personal comfort and happiness. It is not attained through striving and accumulating. This abundance can abound in the mundane, in the disappointing, in the terrible, as well as in the comfortable.
It is His Life flowing through me in peace, joy, stillness, contentment, trust, hope.
It is His Life within me full to overflowing.

So in this small physical life I have, in this small space in time, abundance is held out to me as a gift.
And I--we--long to live in this abundance regardless of our circumstances.  With the help of the One who gave the promise, we want to live abundantly in the day to day, in the monotonous, finding joy in the small gifts placed before us each morning--holding them and experiencing them intentionally.
And when the disappointing, the scary, the terrible comes, we still want to bask in this abundance, knowing that our true fullness is in that which cannot be taken away.

Behind us is a good year filled with blessings. Ahead of us is the unknown. Regardless of what the next years hold for us, whether they bring experiences we welcome or ones we would rather avoid, we want to live abundantly. Should this resolution, this way of living, be tested with adversity, may we stand firm. Should we lose sight of it in the shallowness of comfort and complacency, may we be called out to the depths of His extravagance.

As the story of our family is told in the moments, days, and years ahead, may they all testify to fullness and extravagance of spirit. May they reflect the promise, calling, and challenge of Christ.

May we live

Life Abundantly.