DEREK MAUL: birthday blog: living like I mean it!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

birthday blog: living like I mean it!

57-years-old and living like I mean it!

oday is the 57th anniversary of the day I was born. I know, there’s nothing unique about a birthday, people have birthdays all the time. But there’s something undeniably extra about today, and – being an analytical kind of a fellow – I find myself wondering why.

What is it about a regular day, just one among 365 I will have woken up to by the time 2013 is done, that makes March 26, 2013 stand out among the rest?

ATTITUDE: I’ll begin by saying that attitude counts for a lot. I woke up when it was still dark, and I walked Scout in the cool morning air, and I breathed that first wide-awake breath as a conscious act of gratitude.

And then, before we’d logged more than a few hundred yards, I read my morning devotional scripture; and what I read was this:

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

The good words filtered through my mind and down into the bedrock of my consciousness, and I thought about the imperative to shine, and I thought about the fact that Jesus didn’t say that he’d be doing all the shining so much as that I needed to be shining on his behalf.

SPICE: So I got home from the walk and poured a fresh cup of coffee to share with Rebekah and she had my birthday present waiting for me. Here it is, my marble mortar & pestleset. How cool is that? It’s the perfect addition to my set of cooking tools. I can’t wait to crush some garlic, pound some sweet basil, pummel a sprig of fresh rosemary, or grind some nuts.

Immediately, I experienced deep gratitude for my life together with Rebekah and the fact that we enjoy one another’s company so much. At the same time, the gift reminded me of the rich flavor and savory nuances of life, and how creativity and promise are built-in to the way we experience each new day.

HEALTH: Next, I drove to my doctor’s office for my annual check-up. Not only did I pass with flying colors but she actually complimented me for significantly lowering my “total” cholesterol, reducing the “bad,” and raising the “good.”

Obviously, I’m 57. But I am quite possibly the youngest 57-year-old I know. I’m young because I am so completely alive. This “Life-Charged Life” I’m always talking about isn’t a vague or merely metaphorical idea; it’s the deliberate practice of “Living Like I Mean It,” and living as a passionate “Follower of the Living Way of Jesus.”

FAITH: Which brings me back around to devotion, which is at the heart of the idea of Living Out Loud. Here’s the other scripture that touched me this morning:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;
but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)