Carpe Diem!

Stone Mountain, Ga. (My Photo) 

                Saturday will be my 42^nd year upon this earth. For my birthday I decided to get a bike. I haven’t had a bike since I was a little girl, and if I remember correctly, the last bike I got was on my 10^th or 11^th birthday. I was pretty excited to go and pick out a bike- it really did make me feel like a kid again. My goal is to get into shape. After 40 some years of mistreating my body it is finally fighting back. But, that is not the only reason why I wanted to get a bike. The other reason is that I have decided to start living this life that I have been given, instead of letting it pass me by. I am tired of keeping my wings to my side, I want to spread them and fly.

              Last week I spent some time in Atlanta. Every morning I would go to the park next to the Chattahoochee River and walk the trails through the foothills. One of these mornings I was walking and stopped to breathe in the fresh clean air and beauty around me. As I stood there I realized that I have been letting life just pass me by. I think many of us can relate to these feelings I had. We all have those things we want to do, places we want to go, and people we want to visit before we leave this earth. But, unfortunately if you are like me, you never seem to find the time or opportunity to do them. But as I stood there on top of that mountain these words came crashing into my heart and flooded my very soul. “Carpe Diem- Seize the Day!” It was then that it hit me, I only get one shot at this life, what am I doing with it?

                I think we think because we are Christians we can’t have fun, we can’t “seize the day” anymore. More and more I see us becoming stuck in the same routines, following the same patterns, doing and serving in the same ministry year after year, doing the same thing because it is comfortable and we don’t want to change. We are content to be comfortable. It’s like we forgot that we have been made alive, that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. It’s like we have chosen to walk around half- dead then risk living a full and abundant life.

                “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”
Ephesians 1:3 ESV

                Paul tells us that not only are we blessed, but we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing from heaven. Our blessings are inward; they are love, goodness, peace, joy and most importantly- life! But we receive those blessings; we experience the full measure of those blessings when we wake up and begin to live. We have been given a second change to live this life God’s way- full of abundance and joy. Take a minute to look up from your phone or computer screen and take a look outside to the world around you. Look at the world that God created for His glory and for your enjoyment, a world formed by His hands, a world created by God for man. We want to experience God, but we are not willing to take a step out into the place He created so we could experience Him.

Chattahoochee Trail Atlanta Ga

                I know we all have responsibilities, families, careers, and busy schedules. I know and can sympathize with you- I do own and operate my own company. But the other thing I realized as I stood there on the top of that mountain was that I am a woman full of excuses. I use the excuse I don’t have time over and over again. Time is what I make of it. I can find the time, I just choose not to.

                “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 ESV

         We have only one shot at this life my friend. There are no do-over's. Every time we put off today for tomorrow we fall deeper and deeper into a dead life. We have been given great blessings in Christ Jesus, how many of us are brave enough, bold enough to actually go out and experience them? I can sit and make excuses, or I can get up and get moving. The choice is ours.

                “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-“ Ephesians 2:4-5

                God has made us alive in Christ, yet we walk around dead and defeated. We have this day, this moment to live our lives for God, through God and with God. Let us not waste another precious minute of it. Today is the day that the Lord has made. We have been given this day, today- let us rejoice and be glad in it while it is still today. Or, if you want, you can continue to make excuses, the choice is yours. The only one holding you back is you. This might be your chance to soar. Carpe Diem! Seize the day that God has given you! Amen!