May 26th, 2022: Live Life to the Full

 

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." – John 10: 10

Living our lives to the fullest is what God desires for us. Yet, many of us have no idea what it means. Maybe, we are not, and we still experience some sense of emptiness. Why?

We live in fear. Our world has become a scary place for some people. People are afraid of the many unknowns and the uncertainty of the future. We have concerns about our loss of freedom, and we struggle with not knowing whom to trust. Fear is a powerful experience that can diminish our lives.

We live in shame. Shame is a universal human encounter. We use shame to manipulate and control one another. Shame can kill our hope and joy. Shame is the gate that closes the pathway to the freedom of our hearts. 

We live in regret. We have no freedom to experience forgiveness. We feel as if we are missing out on life. We have no courage to discover what it means to live and fail. Regret does not help us to have hope in building our lives up. It only points out what we have missed. 

Living our lives to the full will not happen if we don't have the antidote for fear, shame, and regret. Forgiveness is that antidote.