Don’t just survive

We're not alive just to survive. I believe God wants us to thrive.

After all, the Bible refers to the Promised Land as "flowing with milk and honey" multiple times in the Old Testament. God talks about leading His chosen people to a place that, according to scripture, will do an excellent job of quenching their thirst and hunger. Sounds like He wants us to have a good life, right?

Let me be clear, however, about what I mean when I suggest we can thrive. I'm not talking about material abundance. We don't need tons of money and possessions to lead a happy life (although having enough money certainly helps). Instead, if we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, we can be filled with God's love daily. That's worth more than any material object. God's love is, to me, the real milk and honey.

So, what gets in our way? What stops us from living our best life each day? For me, it's sometimes my temper. Or a tendency to allow myself to slip into a negative head space. How about you? What do you do that keeps you from living each day in a way that would make God proud?

To enjoy life to its fullest, I have always needed reminders of how short it can be. For example, I have noticed that I often perform a mind reset when someone close passes away. It hits home that we are all mortal and that I'm wasting time by being depressed, etc. And, for at least a couple weeks, I stop wasting time. I'm nicer to people around me. I appreciate what God has given me more. I smile more often.

But, typically, I slowly default back to going through the motions. I slip into grumpiness. I hold grudges again. I start living each day without truly being present and understanding what a beautiful opportunity it is to see another sunrise.

Of course, I'm only human. I'm going to backslide. If I could be perfect, Jesus would not have needed to die on the cross for me. But I can't.

I can, however, do better. Since the start of my cancer journey, I've worked to be a better child of God and to appreciate the daily milk and honey He gives me.

I have found that the more I'm in the Bible, the better a person I am. The more I pray with my family, the kinder I am. Getting to church also helps.

However, one of the simplest techniques I've found to live my best life comes as soon as I open my eyes each morning.

If I'm the first one awake, I listen to my wife breathe for a moment. Then I close my eyes and think of the following words from Pslam 118:24:

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

I then ask God to help me appreciate everything I'll receive throughout the day, to help me be an example of His love, and for Him to fill me with the Holy Spirit.

Even with that daily prayer, I am not always the man I want to be. But I have found that starting the day this way leads me to fewer days where I fail to recognize how good I have it.

We have limited time to breathe the air on Earth. We each owe it to ourselves, our loved ones, and God to thrive daily.