As four days of attending a conference wrap up, I am struck by the experience of seeing old friends. Some are right where I left them. It is as if time washed under their feet without moving them in any visible way. For others, life has taken them in directions nobody could have imagined. The reality of seeing them again, mixed with the memories of eras long passed, brings a fresh set of reminders.
Yesterday’s choices shape where you and I are today. Regardless of how great or less so they were then, they are merely footnotes in our story. We cannot change them. We can learn from them. Once we use them for growth, it is time to leave them where they were.
Living comes with risks, pain, and uncertainty. I think of the people that were part of our lives then who are no longer with us. In the faces of those here this week, I see others I have not thought of for some time. I find myself wishing I had done or aid things then. Those opportunities are gone. I have others within my reach today. I want today to be different.
Living is linked with growth. Living full means growing into more than one was. There are a few that I met this week that do not appear to be living. Others have seized the best in life! Their lives are examples of hope.
To each, I offer my thanks. You have reminded me about the best in life. For many, I would offer Paul’s prayer as my own; “Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 1.4)
For myself it is a good reminder to fully engage in the business of living. The process comes with no warranties. It is something one must step into with faith – doing the right things because that is what we aspire to do. We may not always win; we will always try.
