What Is Life?

Life.

What comes to your mind when you hear that word?

What does it mean to you?

My understanding of the word Life use to be very limited.  When I was younger I believed that the word simply applied to what was right in front of me... mainly myself.  Life was essentially all about me and how I perceived the world.

But as time went by and I began experiencing significant losses, people whom I loved, the word Life took on new meaning.  It became something much bigger than myself.  It became something precious, beautiful, intangible.

Life, I realized, is the very deepest desire and pain in every human heart.  It does not last.   There is no way to preserve it.  There is no way to convince it to linger.  Life shines for the time it is given. 

But what happens when it fades away?  What happens when Life sleeps?  The Bible describes the passing away of all human beings who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior as sleeping or resting in the Lord I Thessalonians 4:14.  But to live only for this world is an absolute promise of despair.  It cannot last.  To live for Life that never dies... Life that continues forever... that is true living!

The Bible states in I Corinthians 9:24-27 that true Life is akin to running a race.  And not just any race, a marathon.  A test of your endurance to persevere and cross the finish line victorious.  To run for the prize.

A Life lived for the purpose of glorifying and honoring God is a Life well lived.  It is the kind of Life that gains the attention and praise of Heaven  Hebrews 12:1-2.

The world, as I write this post, is heavy with fear and sorrow. There has been so much suffering and abrupt endings to many lives during the past few months; Pandemics, economic disintegration, minimal to absolutely no direct human interactions, and the loss of loved ones.  All this on top of the usual struggles the world grapples.

But God is faithful.  He is among us feeling our pain.  Only He can shoulder the overwhelming needs that have bubbled to the surface of global societies.

Jesus has promised us hope over despair, strength over weakness, and victory over death itself.  In the end of all things He is there, standing with us, carrying us if need be.  In the end...

Life wins.

I have realized that Life is Jesus.

John 11:25