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SKID
IN BROADSIDE!
By Paula
Friedrichsen
“Life is not a journey to the grave,
with the intention of arriving safely, in one pretty and
well-preserved piece, but to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, worn out and defiantly shouting ‘Geronimo!!!’”
(Author unknown)
I love this quote and the imagery that
it conjures. When I read it, I think about how people will
sometimes pass an open coffin at a funeral and say, “Ohhh,
she looks so good” – almost as if the aim in life is to be
physically well preserved right up until the end. But the
true aim in life is to be poured out and used up for a
purpose, bigger then yourself.
The other day I was reading 2
Corinthians chapter 4, and I came upon a passage that
illustrates what I’m saying:
For God, who said, “Let light shine
out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay…
When the Bible speaks of “jars of clay”
it is speaking about our natural bodies. God makes his
light shine in our hearts, but then he goes on to say, that
this light is contained in fragile, temporal bodies. I once
read that, “our bodies are in a state of decay from about
the age of twenty, on.” And I don’t know about you, but I
have certainly found that to be true (at least it’s seeming
more true – the older I get). But we must remember, our
purpose in life is not to somehow halt the aging process,
but to fulfill our God-given destiny and calling, being His
– heart, soul and body.
And, as it is with everything, we have
to find a balance in this. I know personally, I could get
out of balance when it comes to healthfulness because I am
interested in all aspects of nutrition. So I need to be
careful not to put my faith in “proper nutrition”
instead of putting my faith in the living God. In all areas
of our lives we must stay in balance.
The quote above fills me with faith for
my future! The thought of skidding into heaven broadside,
thoroughly used up for the kingdom of God inspires me. And
while I always want to sow good seeds of healthy eating and
exercise, I don’t want my “passion” to become staying fit,
looking youthful and living a very long life. I want to be
poured out for God’s use and purpose for my life. I know me
– I could easily spend my life in the pursuit of being
comfortable, safe and healthy. And it will take a
determined effort on my part to “press” through my carnal
nature, and allow God to use me fully.
In a recent Sunday morning service, my
Pastor told of a survey in which ninety-year old men and
women were interviewed and asked what they would do
differently with their lives, if given the chance. The
ninety-year olds said, first, they would have spent more
time with their families. Secondly, they would have risked
more. And lastly, they would have invested themselves more,
in the things that had spiritual meaning and significance.
We can learn a lot from the regrets of
the generations that go before us. Let’s get out of our
comfort zone! Let’s be determined to live fully! When our
hour comes to leave this life – let’s arrive in heaven out
of breath – having completed our destiny – having lived out
our passion – having served God with the life he gave us!
www.PFMinistries.com
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article is copyrighted by the author. All Rights Reserved. No
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©Copyright 2004
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