GET BUSY LIVING!!! THE ALTERNATIVE DOES NOT REQUIRE ANYTHING AND YIELDS NOTHING!!!!

LIVE YOUR BEST BLESSED LIFE!

In the movie The Shawshank Redemption, actor Morgan Freeman memorialzed this statement, "Get busy living or get busy dying." When I first heard it, I thought this was profound and that it underscored what we are on earth to do; that is to get busy living. Sadly, many of us are not living. Yes, we are physically alive and walking around, and going through the motions of (mimicking) life. But, how many can say that they are taking in all the beauty and wonder of life and treasuring every moment we have been given and appreciate all that life has to offer? Further, can we say that we have thanked God, the giver of life, and show our gratitude daily for this great gift? Can you?

In the movie noted above, Morgan Freeman portrays a man (Red) who has been sentenced to life in the state penitentiary for a crime he did commit. He befriends a new inmate (Andy Dufresne), played by Tim Robbins, who had been falsely accused and is also sentanced to life in prison. This inmate will not rest until he escapes; he begins to plan his escape almost immediately. After several years of experiencing the horrors of prison life as well as doing some things that made prison life better for himself and the other inmates, the falsely accused prisoner Andy escapes. Once, Andy (the new inmate falsely accused and whom Freeman's character "Red" has taken under his wing) was permitted to play "The Marriage of Figaro" (an opera by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) for the prisoners. Andy had earned this privilege by helping the warden with some accounting work. "Red" later reflected to himself: "I have no idea what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free." In that moment, they lived. Andy made plans while in prison to meet up with Red after Red gets paroled. The day comes when Andy escapes and Red gets paroled.

Every prisoner who gets paroled is assigned to a half way house. Morgan Freeman's character (Red) notices the carvings on the walls of the halfway house that other parolees left. Most of them had returned to jail after a short while for going back to comitting additional crimes and/or didn't live very long because they had forgotten how to live on the outside. Red decides to write a statement of his own on the wall; "Get busy living or get busy dying," and leaves the halfway house to start living.

What is important here is to note that after being in prison for so long, Freeman's character knows how to live or maybe prison felt like dying and so the opposite would be living and he was going to do just that. Whatever the case, he knew he had to get busy doing something and not nothing. He understood that life is valuable and what we do with our time is precious. He made up in his mind that he had to begin living. "The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it." W. M. Lewis.

We can be pretty nonchalant when it comes to time until we understand that there is a limited amount for each of us. I am not trying to bring anybody down, just being honest. We do not have any time to waste. After thirty-three years of service as an educator and an additional five more in the Dept. of Education after that, retirement has helped me to further respect and appreciate life and time. I do have some time on my hands. What I have noticed is that I need to fill (not to capacity) this time with something or I feel that I am not being productive. Well, being a workaholic, this may just be my problem. I digress. Truthfully, I do plan activities and projects that are meaninful and life enriching. However, as anyone (who is honest) with a lot of time on his/her hands can tell you, procrastination can set in and that well worn mantra is pulled up and repeated over and over and put into effect: "I'll do it tomorrow. I got plenty of time." In some instances, project completion is extended indefinitely.

But, if you are serious about plans that are meaningful and designed to move you forward to the next chapter of your life, then you need to apply maximum effort and energy to see them to fruition. That is what I call living. In the midst of living, you will find your purpose. In the Bible (John 5:1-18), Jesus asked a paralyzed man who had been lying by the pool of Bethesda, an invalid for 38 years and unable to get into the pool when the waters were stirred: "Do you want to be healed?" This may seem like a rhetorical question, but it was asked even though Jesus already knew the answer. I would like to believe that this was asked for our benefit these many generations later. We need to take stock of what messages we are sending to ourselves and others. Many times our actions do not reflect what we truly feel or want. Of course the paralyzed man wanted to be healed. Jesus then commanded him to: "Rise, take up your bed and walk." At that point he was immediately healed. He got up and began to live. He finds purpose. He now has a testimony. He can share it to benefit others.

The question that each of us must answer honestly is: "Do I want to live or complain?" By complain, I mean make excuses for not trying or not doing our best. If we look at the example of the man by the pool, he had reason to be discouraged, but that did not take away his desire to live a better life. We are grateful that he had an encounter with Jesus who could do something about his situation. It gives us hope. Are you living or merely drifting from day to day? This can be exhausting. Why not chose an abundant life and the One who can make this happen? "...I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10. The more we desire God, the more abundant our life will be. You can't put a price tag on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. This is what God gives us. Not to mention, eternal life. Material possessions are nice to have, but they do not fill the space that God created in us for Him to occupy. "But, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33.

The way we choose to live our lives is up to us and so are the choices we make. It is my belief that we all want to live our best life, and some of us make this a serious pursuit. Sometimes we get so busy that we neglect to live. "Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life?" Dolly Parton. Where are you at in terms of living life to the fullest? What are you doing about it?

1. Have you put first things first? I cannot dictate to anyone how to organize/live their life. But, I can share what our Creator says we should do. He said in His word to seek Him first and to put Him first. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you try doing this. In the final analysis, when we face some insurmountable obstacle or situation that we are powerless to address, we turn to Him. I know I do. We do this because we are finite creatures and without supernatural powers; regardless of what the Superman, Batman, Antman, etc., movies tell us. So, why not cultivate a relationship with the Lord so that daily you receive guidance, love and supernatural power provided by Him.

2. Do you know what living is? Sounds kind of silly to even ask this, but ask it I must. Quite a few of us are under the impression that if we have everything we want (money, fame, beauty, material possessions, family, friends, and the list goes on), we will have a wonderful life. Please do some research. There are many people who have had and some who exist right now who have had or do have all of this and were and/ or are miserable. Some have even checked out of this life or messed up this life. Contentment, happiness, peace of mind eludes them. Their lifestyle has become a trap from which they cannot escape. Find out what living means to you, and then proceed.

3. Are you willing to do what it takes to live? We still want a quick fix; get money fast; maybe hit the lottery or indulge in a get rich quick scheme, get thin fast using "miracle" drugs or "miracle" diets, get rid of our wrinkles with botox and eliminate cellulite without excercise and weight reduction, have surgeons cut the fat off of us, etc. This all sounds ludicrous, but it is what is happening right now in our world. Look at the commercials. I am by no means judging anyone, but we as a society are promoting living without much effort. Think about it.

4. Know what you want. Be still for a moment to figure this out. Sometimes you even need to know why you want what you want. Growing up poor did create a desire in me to want better, but it was my father who gave purpose to my desire to do better and have a little more monetarily. He said that if I got an education, I could earn enough to take care of myself for the rest of my life. That sounded like something to aim for. And I did. Then along came my grandmother, who told me that "without Christ in your life," all the other things would still leave me empty. She said that I should receive Him. I did. My father and my grandmother gave me wisdom that has guided my life. They were both right.

5. Live with compassion and purpose. Abundant living means living as God intended; love for Him and love for others. Matthew 22:37-39. "Love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." Care for those who are less fortunate, provide remedy where you can. Bless somebody else. Weep with those who weep, lift or lighten a burden where you can and share the good news of God's gospel, His love, forgiveness and provision for us whenever an opportunity presents itself and if you can, create an opportunity. This is our purpose.

6. Remain encouraged. Life happens to all of us. We are not exempt from sorrow and loss. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33. Jesus told us these words so that in Him we may find peace. In these hard times, take refuge in God's word: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5. He promised never to leave or forsake us. He is with us in all things. Pray, believe Him, trust Him and keep living.

Live a life that is God-centered; then you will be living your best life. Hope your summer has been great. Keep working on your goals. May God continue to bless and keep you in perfect peace. No matter what is going on in our world, remember God is in control.

TIME IS PRECIOUS, SO DON'T WASTE IT!

GET BUSY LIVING!!!

GODSPEED!!!!

Yours, Yvette

Thank you again for your continued support. I remain eternally grateful. You can comment at: vttlane@gmail.com.

Note: I am taking a short vacation. There will be no post for August. See you in September. God bless!