Being Fully Alive: Loving Your One Life

Today we continue our devotional series on what it means to live fully alive by exploring what it means to fully embrace the one precious life we have been given.  

Every morning, as part of my own devotional time, I read a poem from Mary Oliver's collection of poems entitled "Devotion." 

Her poetry truly gives me something to ponder every single day.  Her favorite subject is nature, and she sees divine beauty in Creation and the lessons that beauty teaches us.  

I'm always amazed by the depth of her poetry, and how even the simplest things she observes in nature hold the most profound truths.  

Take, for instance, this line from her poem "The Summer Day."  

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Oliver's question is both beautiful and unsettling.

This is your one life.

Not the life you might have lived if you'd made different decisions.

Not the life you'll begin someday when circumstances finally cooperate.

This one.

The messy one.

The beautiful one.

The unfinished one.

The psalmist prays, “Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart” (Psalm 90:12).

That isn't a morbid prayer. It's an invitation to wake up.

Our days are limited, and that limitation makes them precious.

We can spend enormous amounts of energy wishing parts of our lives were different. We imagine another career, another body, another past, another family, another set of circumstances.

Certainly, some things are worth changing. Growth is part of being alive.

But there is also a point when constantly wishing for another life keeps us from inhabiting the one God has actually given us.

Paul writes, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not for all circumstances. Some things are painful and unjust and deserve to be changed.

But even there, life contains gifts.

Someone loves you.

Something is beautiful.

Something still makes you laugh.

Someone needs the particular love only you can give.

Conversations still to have, places still to explore, forgiveness still to offer, meals still to share, and mornings still waiting to be lived.

Don't postpone your life until everything is perfect.

It never will be.

Love the people who are here.

Receive the gifts that are here.

Live the day that is here.

An abundant life begins when we stop waiting for another life and become fully present to this one.

Prayer

God of my days, thank you for this one precious life you have given me. Forgive me for the time I spend wishing I were somewhere else or someone else. Give me courage to change what needs changing, grace to accept what cannot be changed, and wisdom to cherish what is already good. Teach me to live this life fully, gratefully, and lovingly. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. What part of your life are you tempted to wish away?
2. What gifts in your present life deserve more of your attention and gratitude?
3. If you truly regarded today as precious, what would you do differently?