What Is Your Life?

Life has its favorites… favorite sport, favorite ice-cream, favorite vacation spot, and I guess if we go back far enough, favorite stuffed animal/blanket/thumb to suck. What lasts a lifetime is favorite people, close friends, those birds of a feather that flock together. This past week I reunited on the phone with some of my favorite people, Ken and Jan Siminoe from Ukiah days. Their house was always a place to let my hair down… yes, I had more hair in those days. One could be themselves and share heart, fears, joys and laughter. A preacher doesn’t always find a place where he doesn’t feel he has to put on the airs of the calling but Jan and Ken made me always feel at home. After some formal matters we began to catch up and reminisce about times. Realizing how long it had been since seeing each other, Ken reflected on the book of James affirmation that life is short… “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14).” Those are sad words if your mist isn’t rich, full and joyous. However, if your life is “good” as Ken asserted, the answer to “What is your life?” is “a great ride!”

Maybe the most revealing question is to ask, “What makes one’s life rich, full and joyous?” Let me be brash enough to say what I think makes up that list. First and foremost would be resilient faith. This is the kind of faith that is not hitched to people, facts, feelings or tradition but rather is anchored in relationship with Jesus. This is faith that can’t be taken away by any force on earth because it rests in heaven! Second, and companion to this faith is a humble humorous bone. People who take themselves too serious have frail misty lives but one who can laugh at his weakness, chortle over his mistakes and belly laugh at life’s blemishes is rich, full and joyous indeed. (Ken and Jan were the first to join me in laughing about my pulpit plunder when I said prostate instead of prostrate). Included in this list is family and like a favorite child not heralded but known to be favored, family is just the best! My list would be incomplete if I didn’t include art appreciation, world travel (or at least exposure to different cultures), silly time, reading enrichment, hand and foot (or whatever card game you like), poetry and yes, O yes… the greatest of these is love!

I’m quite sure your list looks different than mine but amazingly the same! From our guts we know what makes life rich, full and joyous! The common prayer of all our lives is that we can say with Ken, “Life’s been good!” So, how has your ride been? -DAN