This past week I have had my hair straightener stop working, the dishwasher start leaking onto the floor, and just this morning- my Swiffer floor vacuum is definitely done doing its job! All in just 5 days! So I have had poofy hair for the past 4 days, been washing dishes by hand for the past 3 days, and starting today...it is back to the 'ol broom and dustpan to clean the floors...
Early this morning as I was doing last night's dishes, I was trying to just be content in doing them. As my hands were in the hot sudsy water, I thought on things I was thankful for...the many things we have in our lives today that we take for granted. Over Memorial Day weekend this past May, our hot water heater quit working and we learned to appreciate hot water at the turn of the faucet...so this morning, I was thankful I had hot water. Many other things around me are still working well...so I was thankful for the coffee pot and the electricity that is helping keep our home cool through these summer months. All of these things are temporary though...some day they will break down as well.
I, too, have been like these things. I have shut down through tough times and stopped doing the things I was created to do. I have not kept myself conditioned or maintained as well as I ought to have. Even if I had, the truth is our bodies and minds don't last. We can eat the best foods and exercise just the right way and as often as we ought to, but we are not going to last forever.
Presently I am helping with my Aunt, who has recently found out she has cancer and was given 2-6 months to live. Walking along side her, I am gleaning wisdom that I want to apply to life now. I have found it interesting how often one waits until they are dying to truly start living. I have seen this before and it is common enough there are songs and cliche sayings on it. We spend a lot of our time...wasted. I see it in my own life. Sometimes it is because we fill it with so many things that we don't enjoy the simplicity in front of us. Other times we squander the time and do nothing. Today one of the biggest time zappers is the technology at our finger tips. I am guilty of this as well. However, in the midst of this season my aunt is in, it has once again reminded me of the importance of purposeful living.
Things don't last...our time on earth will not last...take time to think about what is important...what is it that matters most to you if you were given 2 months to live and do those things! I believe it is a much wiser way to live than to live like you have all the time in the world. Of course I know greater things await, but when I come to the end of my life here (however soon that may or may not be), I want to look back and feel like I lived my life purposefully. What does that look like for your life? I hope you go after it, starting today!
