Living Life To The Fullest

"It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." ~John 6: 63


The resilience of the spirit astounds me sometimes. I was inspired when I went to daily mass today. One of my elementary school teacher's husband has cancer, and it has progressed over the last few months. They aren't sure how much longer he will be on earth with us. I see this all too often it seems where people I know are suffering from a chronic disease such as cancer. Most people will lose hope and give up. What makes my teacher's husband different? Faith.

Faith is saving him. I don't mean in the sense of physically, but spiritually. For while his body is dying, his spirit is fully alive. He is not angry or bitter, but instead living his life to the fullest and enjoying the time God has given him. To see him, despite his condition, still having faith is the definition of being alive. This puts some of the hardships I've been going through into perspective.

We all have times where we suffer. Some days are especially tough when we feel as though the world is crashing down on us. If we aren't living a life centered in Christ, we are dead. God gave us an intellect and a free will. He loves us so much to give us the choice to choose Him. He does not force His love upon us. So why do bad things happen? To show us that our life here is temporary.

We were not made for this world. We were made to share in the eternal and perfect Kingdom of God that was created for us- heaven. When sin entered the world, we were divided from God, and we continue to separate ourselves further every time we sin and don't choose Him. God could not give us the perfect kingdom because we were not perfect, and we still aren't. Far from it actually.

As humans, we are in love with things that are beautiful. We dislike war, fighting, arguments, disease, rejection, disappointment, and many others. These are ugly things brought about by sin because we are not perfect. Still, there is hope. Take Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.  Their good deeds seem foreign, their happiness is a mystery. When people like them come into the world, people are transfixed and fascinated. Why? They are attracted to the beauty that they see. What is this beauty? It is a spirit set on fire with love for Jesus.
 
This is not to imply that Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II were perfect because they weren't. They were human after all. But they were alive in a way that most aren't. They radiated holiness because their spirits were alive with the love of God. We (the world) have been blessed to have them and all the saints as examples. They are proof that there is hope. Take time to read about the lives of the saints. Their stories are truly remarkable because they were not perfect. Before they lived lives of holiness, they went through temptations, hardships, and trials that you and I suffer. They know what it's like to live here on earth. They also know how turning to Jesus can transform your life. That is why we pray to them and ask them to help us. Many of them were plain Janes and average Joes in their time, yet God called and used them to change the world. God did it for them- he will do it for you too. But you need to have faith.

Only with faith can your spirit come alive and can you live a life centered in Christ. With Christ as the center, you will know what it is like to live. There is happiness, peace, comfort- things that the world is in desperate need of. We are all called to be saints. God may not be calling you to be the next Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul II- or maybe He is for God does remarkable things and you do not know exactly what He has planned for you- but if you allow God to transform your heart and set your spirit on fire, you will change the world.