Live Life to the Fullest

In June, I had the awesome opportunity to go Skydiving. A friend who had gone before told me that if I was going to have the video done to have a plan as to what I would say as it is so awesome and overwhelming that you tend to be speechless. I considered this and decided to write my life motto on my hand so that if speech did indeed elude me I could just wave at the camera. The phrase on my hand....Live life to the fullest. I suppose the phrase seems self-explanatory, but I don't think that I chose this for the typical reason.

 In school, I quickly learned the adage, “Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Teachers often told me that I had a bad attitude because I wouldn't participate or that I was lazy. I was neither of the things. I was however sure that I was stupid and had no desire to prove this to anyone.

Growing up, there were a lot of experiences that I avoided because I didn’t want to look foolish. I really wanted to try out for various team sports, but was sure that I would not only be cut from the team, but that I would look ridiculous even trying. Whenever anything took any amount of effort and did not come easily to me, I quit. (I’m not athletic or smart so I pretty much quit everything) It really wasn’t the hard work that I was avoiding. I just always assumed that I wouldn’t be able to succeed.

It wasn’t until I was 27 when a series of events (and Nancy Dyson) pushed me into all kinds of uncomfortable situations. I suddenly found myself in situations where I couldn’t just quit to avoid looking foolish. I had to follow through or let a lot of people down. I’d like to say that I proved to myself that I was capable and competent, but that is only half true. Sometimes I succeeded, but yes indeed sometimes I looked foolish. What I did learn is that feeling foolish isn’t quite as horrific as I thought it would be and that most people, at least the people who matter didn’t seem to think any less of me when I did make a fool of myself. More importantly, I learned what success felt like. In my quest to avoid looking foolish I always managed to avoid success. I learned you can’t have one without the other.

When I was about 30 I decided that my life motto would be, “Live life to the fullest” I decided that I would no longer let my fear of looking foolish keep me from living life.

On Monday of this week, I read two verses that I need to memorize for a Bible study that I am doing on Sunday evenings at our church. 1 John 5:11-12 And this is the Testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; He who does not have the Son of God has not life. I’ve read this verse many times, but this week it hit me….Living life to the fullest by sky-diving, running marathons, and eating new foods is a lot of fun, but it is so futile. Skydiving was a huge rush, and I do have fun memories, but the rush is gone. In order for me to feel that rush again, I have to go skydiving again. All these exciting things that I am doing have no lasting effect. I realized that my adventures are not how I am living my life to the fullest it is in my prayer life; in my daily devotions, in being a good friend, a devoted wife and mother, it is in sharing with everyone I know what Jesus Christ has done for me.  

 

For a Christian Living life to the fullest is so much grander than for those who don’t know Christ. It makes me sad and pushes me to share ‘the testimony’ more often. As I think of all the people who skydive each year, it occurs to me that if their chutes don’t open, their adventure will be over right then and there. (Yes, I know it sounds twisted) but I know without a doubt that if I should die in some freak accident while living out one of my crazy adventures that for me the real adventure will have only just begun!