Abundant Living - Mt. 6:25-33 - 8/14/2005

I’m reading a book right now entitled Life is Short - Wear Your Party Pants written by Loretta Laroche. The promise of her book is that we have the opportunity each and every day to have an amazing life. We don’t have to wait till our problems are solved, the kids graduate, or for some special occasion. Each day we can experience the abundant life that God has promised us.

We don’t have to wait to bring our the good china only on a special occasion. We don’t have to wait to wear our special "part pants" at times of celebration. Life is a gift - each day is to be celebrated to the fullest.

1) Abundant living begins with the knowledge that our lives are in the hands of a loving God. God loves us and wants what is best for us no matter what happens for good or ill. Today God is in our midst. How often we try to do life on our own, making the best of what comes our way. But God says I have given you life in abundance. I will care for your every need. Nothing happens that God is not watching over us.

Like Marilyn’s song said: ‘When I couldn’t sleep... when my life was filled with strife... when I felt so all alone... when my eyes were filled with tears... you rescued me.... you set me free.’

Ours is not a God who sits upon a throne far away - ours is a God who is in the midst of the good -- the bad -- even the ugly of life. It’s so amazing when we look back over the days of our lives we can see how God was there at the best of times in our celebrations and God was there at the most difficult times -- carrying us -- rescuing us when we couldn’t’ walk on our own. Indeed God knows the number of hairs on our head and knows what we need before we ask. God cares and wants what is best for us.

2). Abundant living begins with God, ends with God, is centered in God. God gave us life at our birth and each morning when we wake up gives us 24 hours of a new day to be lived for God’s glory. That day is filled with everything we need -- the choice is ours in how we use the gift of each new day. In our work, in our play, in our relationships with other people, in our living. God offers us the opportunity to make a better world.

I share this poem with you entitled "Give Lavishly! Live Abundantly!":

The more you give, the more you get --

The more you laugh, the less you fret--

The more you do unselfishly,

The more you live abundantly...

The more of everything you share,

The more you’ll always have to spare--

The more you love, the more you’ll find

Than life is good and friends are kind...

For only what we give away

Enriches us from day to day.

source unknown

Within each of us lives God’s presence that can touch our world to make life extraordinary. A smile here, a hug there, a word of forgiveness, a touch of kindness enriches the lives of others and gives us life in abundance. What we give of ourselves every day reflects the abundant life that God has entrusted to us.

3) Abundant living happens in the present moment. Rabbi Abraham Joshan Hershel once said: "Time is the dimension wherein we become aware that instant [that moment] is an act of creation."

Every moment is ‘the" moment. It’s what we’re doing -- it’s the life we’re living. In this moment life is happening.

How many times do we hear ourselves saying things like this:

- "If only this would end, then I would be happy."

- "When I go on vacation, I’ll feel better."

- I can’t wait till Friday." (We’re waiting so much for Friday we’ve even named a restaurant TGIF "Thank God It’s Friday"!) Why not TGIM or TGIT?

In this moment right now we have the opportunity to be in God’s presence. In this moment right now we can think and feel and be happy. We don’t have to wait till Friday to experience living. If we’re fretting about the past or worrying about tomorrow - we’re missing life in this present moment.

What’s happening right now -- the person sitting next to us, the sounds that we are hearing, what we are seeing with our eyes -- is life in the present moment. Learning to show up for this moment is the blessing of abundant living. We don’t have to wait for company to come to get out the good china, we can put on our party pants, and celebrate today. Life in abundance has the potential to be in the moment -- slow down -- take a deep breath and watch what can happen.