As most of you know, I have a passion for helping people discover their purpose in life and gaining insight into how to live it. Back in December I posted a quote that said, “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” But my friend Paul Batura, who writes a weekly column for the Colorado Springs Gazette, recently penned an article titled, “Expect more out of life than just the year.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
In this article, he referenced the CDC’s determination that life expectancy in the United States has now been extended to 79 years of age. Paul went on to give examples of things people have accomplished in short periods of time, which demonstrates what can be accomplished by utilizing the time afforded us by a longer life.
But I love it when he shifts the focus from years to moments. Rather than view our time as having, for example, 10 years extra to live on this earth, he changes it to “moments” – I have 10 more summers, 10 more Christmases, or 10 more trips with family to the cabin. As Paul states. “Each event stands on its own, magnified by the knowledge that life is fragile and fleeting.”
Regardless of your age, you have something to offer. Living more years for ourselves doesn’t compare with the opportunity to create meaningful and life-changing moments in the lives of others. You have a purpose – you may just need to discover what God has in mind for you. Or, as Paul suggests, “Focusing less on years added and more on life more fully lived.”