Clarifying Life

April 25, 2014

I’ve been watching videos of sermons and TED talks while I am exercising on my recumbent bike.  It is hitting two birds with one stone: I always learn something plus it makes the time go really quickly.  This morning’s TED talk caught my eye because of what I have been teaching in my Human Growth and Development class.  It is a class that covers physical, cognitive, social, and personality development across the lifespan.  Given that it is the end of the semester, we have been learning about late adulthood which, of course, then includes discussion of looking towards death, becoming more relational, and evaluating your life.

So, when I saw a TED talk titled “Before I die I want to…” I was intrigued.  Developmentally, I am in the stage called middle adulthood.  Maybe that is why I am thinking more about my bucket list – that list of all the things I want to do before I die.  The list is growing and I love hearing other people’s ideas so I hit “play” on the video.  It is a great talk and I’ve included a link to it below if you want to take the very few minutes to watch it for yourself.

The statement that most caught my attention and caused me to think was towards the end when she said, “Thinking about death clarifies your life.”  There is a lot packed into those six words.  Thinking about death in a positive way that says, “My time is limited and becoming more and more precious, what am I going to do with it?”  We’ve all heard the saying that we should live our lives as if each day were our first and last.  When looking at things with a sense of wonder and excitement, that works.  When looking at relationships that need to be fixed, or wrongs that need to be righted, that works.  But, practically speaking, if I knew I only had a very short time to live, I would do something incredibly different than what I have planned for today.  I wouldn’t go get my hair cut, I wouldn’t sit out by the pool.  I’d probably jump on a plane to somewhere in Europe or the Mediterranean.

Knowing that our time is limited and more precious is certainly based on the assumption of living an average life span.  It is looking forward to what do I want to do and that is largely based on looking back and evaluating what I have already done.

“Thinking about death clarifies your life” also hit me since we have just celebrated Easter which is about not just the resurrection of our Lord and Savior but also His sacrificial death.  When I think about that death, it absolutely clarifies my life.  When I think about what He went through for me, it absolutely clarifies my life.  When I think about the love that He has for me that motivated Him to take on my sin and become my intercessor, it absolutely clarifies my life.  When I think about the fact that He arose from the grave and He lives, it absolutely clarifies my life.  When I think about how he sent the Holy Spirit to be my counselor, my comforter and that it indwells me, it absolutely clarifies my life.

“For God so loved [Audra] that He gave His only begotten Son”

~ ~ John 3:16 (Audra’s personalized version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uebxlIrosiM

Hopeful Endurance

April 16, 2014

I’ve been having a lot of migraines lately.  For the last five weeks or so, it seemed they were occurring about once a week.  One was so bad I was throwing up.  For the most part, though, I work through it the best I can.  Last week, someone said to me, “I don’t know how you do it when you have a migraine.”  She was wondering how I keep going, how do I go to work, etc.  That particular day the headache was about a 6/10 on the pain scale.

I told her that I have found that if I just get going in what I need to do, the distraction works to get my mind off the headache.  In thinking about it more, I usually tend to remember a quote from my grandmother, “I’m going to feel bad either way so I may as well get up and do something.”  That’s true a lot of the time.  Granted there are some headaches that put me in bed but most I try to power through on this philosophy.

Later that afternoon, I was driving to campus to teach class and I was remembering the conversation about my headaches.  It dawned on me that there is actually a much bigger motivation – one that I had known but had never really put words to.  Just the night before, in a Bible study with my small group sisters, we were discussing two types of patience in the Bible. 

One type of patience derives from the Greek word makrothumia which means long-suffering, endurance, or perseverance.  It is putting up with things or circumstances.  The other type of patience derives from the Greek word hupomone which also means endurance and perseverance but with an important distinction: it is inspired by hope.  It is looking for a positive outcome or expected end.

I bring this up not to get lost in Greek words (which is what happens to me) but rather highlight what this looks like in action.  When I have a bad headache, I try my best to get up and get going because the distraction is good for me.  But I also get up and get going because I have hope of my headache getting better.  I have hope that if I get moving that maybe my neck will loosen up which will alleviate my headache.  I have hope that the medication will kick in and alleviate my headache.  Hope is my real motivation.

We all have things we struggle with.  Because of what I do professionally, I see people’s struggles all the time.  But why do we struggle?  Why do we keep pushing through?  Because the big picture is not the struggles.  The big picture is the hope of eternal life with my God and my Lord and Savior.  The point of this world is not this world but rather to look toward the positive outcome or expected end.  I am full of hope!

“Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

~~ Heb. 10:35-36