The Point of Living

I love hiking to the top of the highest mountain when the wildflowers are blooming and feeling like they grew just for me. I love watching the birds in our backyard. I love to sit outside on chilly nights and watch the fire, to get lost in the magnificent wonder of it's power. I love water, streams, lakes, rivers, waterfalls. I love running in the rain. I love finding beauty in old barns, windmills, trees. I love going farther than I thought I could go, the feeling of strength and of pushing my own limits. I love when Wes is creating something, love watching him delight in simply existing. I love how he is wise beyond his years and how I can learn from him. I love my grandparents and the values they've lived by, the example they've set. I love my family. I love God.

This excerpt from "Waking the Dead' by John Eldredge about sums it up for me.

"Everything you love is what makes a life worth living. Take a moment, set down the book, and make a list of all the things you love. Don’t edit yourself; don’t worry about prioritizing or anything of that sort. Simply think of all the things you love. Whether it’s the people in your life or the things that bring you joy or the places that are dear to you or your God, you could not love them if you did not have a heart. Loving requires a heart alive and awake and free. A life filled with loving is a life=2
0most like the one that God lives, which is life as it was meant to be (Eph. 5:1–2).

Of all the things that are required of us in this life, which is the most important? What is the real point of our existence? Jesus was confronted with the question point-blank one day, and he boiled it all down to two things: loving God and loving others. Do this, he said, and you will find the purpose of your life. Everything else will fall into place. Somewhere down inside we know it’s true; we know love is the point. We know if we could truly love, and be loved, and never lose love, we would finally be happy. And is it even possible to love without your heart? "