Valuing Life

"'To believe in God means to take sides with life and to end our alliance with death. It means to stop killing and wanting to kill, and to do battle with apathy which is so akin to killing." Dorothee Soelle

There are so many things that we can be valuing in life. For me there is a long list that I can think of off the top of my head:

• My family
• Friends
• Home
• Food
• Job
• Money to pay the bills

Just to name a few...

It was odd that I read about valuing life today. Just yesterday I found myself putting a lot of things into perspective. It is so easy to get caught up in the mundane things in life and not see the big picture. I found myself putting my life and its events into perspective and it was shocking to me. I make such a big deal about the unnecessary and forget about the essentials. I need to put my life into perspective more often!

Life is something to value. God made it beautiful and has given us so many things to be thankful for!

Will Do

1. Pay attention to life
2. Be receptive and present in the moment
3. See God in all details (just try it)
4. Be curious about life and all its mysteries
5. Open your hear to God's grace
6. Be aware of small moments of grace and little epiphanies (this is what happened to me yesterday)
7. Be aware of what is going on inside

To Do

1. Make time to appreciate life during the day
2. Go for long walks in nature
3. Buy a rose just to admire the beauty that God put in it
4. Read Psalm 148
5. Read a book about nature
6. Spend time apart from a loved one in order to savor and appreciate who they are
7. Treat yourself to a new flavor of ice cream or ethnic food to enjoy the new discoveries

Bible Verses to Remember

1. Genesis 1:31
2. Psalm 139:14
3. Luke 12:27
4. Matthew 8:22
5. 2 Chronicles 5:13
6. Proverbs 28:14

"At the back of our brains, so to speak, there is a forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and the spiritual life is to dig for this submerged sunrise of wonder."
            G. K. Chesterton