Living On Purpose

Above Nazareth, Holy Land Journey

While visiting the Holy Land, I told myself to observe it all. Listen to the historians, visit with its people. Eat their foods. Hear their languages. I watched my feet take steps over ancient ruins, and ran my fingers over carved stones. Every morning I’d wake and tell myself to look with wide-eyed wonder. I wanted to live as if I’d never be here again. I was living on purpose.




And truly, my mind is still filled with Israel’s vibrancy. Living on purpose made indelible memories. Why didn't I remind myself to have that kind of “living on purpose” life while mothering a child? Maybe if I had, I’d remember more of those fleeting moments. 


So as a grandmother, I'm telling myself to live on purpose. Take it all in...the expressions, the moods, the energy investment that comes, not just from running after a two-year-old, but from living out days I will never see again.




The same is true for parenting teens, career changes, economic fluctuations, or living through a pandemic. Those days don’t last either. But I promise you this: if you remind yourself to treasure every day, you will look back with greater recall and relive the goodness. You'll also be thankful for God’s mercy and grace on those days when you couldn’t have done it without Him.



This is the reason we do not give up. Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day. The little troubles we suffer now for a short time are making us ready for the great things God is going to give us forever. We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18




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