Living Life on Purpose

{Originally Posted at Generation Cedar}

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” (John Lennon)

Is it possible, in this noisiest-of-ever-century, that we hardly ever hear, hardly ever see anything much?

Have you ever noticed your world when the power goes off? It’s not just that you can’t check your email… it’s a deafening silence that might drive some crazy if it lasted long enough. All the hums and quiet roars are dead, and we are left with much less–or is it more?

I think if we don’t live on purpose, we won’t live at all. If we don’t see through the daily whir, and hear through the daily buzz, we might just miss the life we were intended to live.

If you’ve lived very long, you know that life isn’t that long. Can we say as someone did,

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

It’s not hard, really. It’s not sky-diving and Rocky-mountain climbing…

It’s another warm hug today; choosing to cast a gentle glance in the direction of one you love, rather than a day-worn scowl.

A walk outside, closing your eyes, and raising your face to the warmth of an autumn sky. Saying out loud to your children…”Isn’t this world glorious–the one our Lord created?”

Curling up to read Dr. Seuss again, ending with a tickle. Speaking words of life into someone’s heart.

All these smallish things, woven together over a lifetime make a life well-lived.

Ann Voskamp says it so beautifully…be sure to read the article:

“I mean, it’s curls of mozzarella and cheddar piled high in a golden pond of glorious day and I’m changing the settings to macro, increasing the ISO, and pulling in for a close-up frame. And a farming man walks in on me, one who’s fed 650 sows with one strong shouldered arm this morning, flicked on a welder and melded steel together, a barn maintenance project, then revved up the Magnum, filled up the spreader, and hauled several loads of manure to the field. Sheepishly, I look up, laugh awkwardly.

It’s quite possible that the fine art of an exquisite ring of shredded cheese may be lost on him….it is not.” Read more….What Will Be Magnified

Editor’s pick by Michele at Sparks and Butterflies. Kelly is one of those blogs I read for encouragement, and admonishment. A devout Chistian homeschooling wife and mom, Kelly is never afraid to say the Truth to you. She doesn’t shy away from hard or controversial topics. You know where she stands, and I really respect that about her. And here, another example, where she challenges. Are you living life on purpose? You can read her blog, or subscribe to her feed.