It's about who not what...
Fame and fortune don't matter much
It seems like in the last few weeks we've lost quite a few famous people...I'm sure you can fill in the blanks of people who fit those ranks. How long will they be remembered? Did their lives leave a lasting impression?
I watched House last night, a rerun, and he addressed a very sick young woman who chose to refuse treatment and wanted to die with dignity. He told her, "people can only live with dignity." It's a compelling statement. Rest assured, I don't take my prescriptions from House but his counsel is a truism. It's about here; it's about now; it's about life.
What are the ingredients of a meaningful life?
I happened to read Ecclesiastes chapter 1 this morning. (I try to read a chapter or section in the Old and New Testament each day.) This book starts out by telling us that everything is meaningless. This sounds like a pretty depressing statement on the surface unless you understand the context of what the writer is saying.
The probable author is King Solomon. He was the wisest man on earth, maybe the wisest ever. Yet as he explored all knowledge, sampled all experiences and investigated everything under the sun - that means here on earth - he found that everything is meaningless. What does he mean? It's meaningless without God.
The way we can live meaningful, purposeful and joyful lives is by placing God at the center of our life, work and activities. When we accept life as God designed it and seek Him first, the rest just starts making sense.
At Semper Vita, we believe that placing God at the center includes the way we volunteer. When we serve others out of our love and reverence for God, we create meaning and have lasting impact. Our "doing good" may actually do more good than we even could imagine. It's meaningful when we serve God by serving others - both for us and for them.
