Saturday, January 12, 2013

The Value of A Life 202

"In the beginning  was the Word, and the Word was  with God, and the Word was  God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and  the life was the light of men."
John 1:1-4

My daughter and I watched the classic 1946 movie, It's A Wonderful Life tonight.
Normally a holiday staple for us, the busy-ness of the season delayed its viewing until tonight.
This viewing  was a bit different for my daughter because she is at an age now of increased understanding, and asked a lot of questions.
In the movie, the main character, George Bailey, in the throes of feeling sorry for himself,
wants to end it all by committing suicide, but he  has an opportunity to see what the the impact of his life would be, and as most of us know, his never being born changed everything-for the worst.
He momentarily had taken his eyes off the prize, and when faced with the most seemingly difficult debacle of his life, he considered ending it all by suicide, but of course the movie has a very happy ending. Clarence the angel showed George the truth about the value and impact of his life on so many around him, even from a young age. In one scene, George saves his brother, Harry, from drowning in an icy pond, which cost him some of his hearing in his left ear. Harry grows up, thrives, joins the Air Force as WWII breaks out, and as a fighter pilot, shoots down two enemy planes that were about to attack an Allied troop transport. If George had never lived, Harry would've drowned in that pond, would not have been there to shoot down those enemy planes to keep them from sinking the troop transport and all those on board, hundreds of men, would've died, dramatically impacting the lives of countless others.

Jesus tells us to walk the narrow path as we imitate Him, to love God with all we've got, and to love  each other. We are to pick up our crosses daily, crucifying and denying our "selves", all the while understanding how valuable we are to our Creator God.
The path is narrow and it not level, no, it is rife with hills, steep dips, potholes, and all manner of "hazards".
Jesus tells us that "in this world we will have trouble, but we can take heart, because He has overcome the world."  In other words, it ain't easy!
This life is all about intimacy: knowing and loving God our Father,  the people that God has placed in our lives, and developing an understanding that however sometimes mysterious,
we all impact each other.
Beloved, you are so valuable! Think on these things today, as you as live, move, and have your being, reflecting His love and light, fulfilling God's purposes for your life, and being used to impact others.

No comments:

Post a Comment