L.I.V.E.

Today's post is taken from something I heard a friend share at his son's graduation last night. I watched as he gave the "charge" to his son and friends, and really to all of us in the room, to really L.I.V.E.

L.I.V.E. stands for Loving, Innovation, Values, and Encouragement.

Loving - In life it's quite easy to love those closest to us...or is it? In a Wednesday night service recently we compared what the world calls love with what God calls love. The God love isn't all that easy because it's not based completely on feelings. Godly love is truly a choice. It isn't a 50/50 proposition...true love doesn't even require that the other person love back. Godly love isn't dependent upon feelings. As we travel through life, we will find that the world is filled with people that can be pretty difficult to love....sometimes we can even find those people in our own families! We may not always LIKE those around us, but if we can see them with the eyes of Christ, we can work toward learning to LOVE them.

Innovation - This is really thinking outside the box. Today's world can sometimes look pretty scary, but some of the greatest innovations have been born not in times of plenty, but in times of need. What is your gift? Allow God to use that gift; it will make a place for us before great men. (Prov. 18:16) Don't be afraid to use those innovative ideas and create. Ever hear of post-it notes? Did you know that they were born not out of something that worked, but something that didn't? Spencer Silver was working for 3M in the 70's trying to invent a super strong adhesive...instead, he created a super weak one. He didn't discard it, and 10 years later a fellow 3M scientist named Arthur Fry remembered Silver's invention. Fry was singing in the church choir and having trouble keeping his markers in place. He remembered Silver's super weak adhesive and used it. Ten years after Silver's "failure", 3M began marketing post-it notes. Think outside the box!

Values - What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul? The values we learned as a small child should go with us throughout our lives. They are timeless and true. There is a saying that says "Everything I needed to learn, I learned in kindergarten" and that is still true today. More importantly, everything I need is available to me in the timeless Word of God that I began learning even before kindergarten. Don't forget what is important in life...it's not the stuff you accumulate, it's the people you love along the way.

Encouragement - Everyone needs encouraging and it is a gift anyone can give. The funny thing is, when given, this gift comes back and blesses the one who gave it! Don't forget to encourage those who encourage others...they need those refreshing words just like you. Encourage yourself as well....encourage yourself with songs (of God's faithfulness) and promises (from His Word), and just good pep talks every now and then. Speak words of life and hope to all you meet, even the person in the mirror!

So now we have a week's worth of lessons in a four letter word, "L.I.V.E." Go out and really LIVE life today.

(Special thanks to Milton Miskel for inspiration in this blog, and congratulations to Channing. Channing, you already show the signs of God's hand in your life and you truly know how to L.I.V.E.)