A life well lived is not a dream destination, it is a crafted creation!

Like everything of great value, this is something that we must pursue wholeheartedly, knowing that there will be a price to pay.

A life well lived … reflects surrender more than success, is focused on giving our obedience to God more than grasping at the opportunities of man and it will be a life that will reveal eternal attributes more than reflecting earthly accomplishments.

When we live like this, we will have no regrets in life … or in death.

What is abundantly clear is that …

A Life Well Lived … Is Not A Dream Destination, It Is A Crafted Creation

I believe these words from the Proverbs powerfully promote the perfect platform for us to position ourselves on, “If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” (Proverbs 3:4-6)

These are words of wisdom and of life … and we see all of this lived out in this family story from Jon Mertz in his article, “Two Principles for A Life Well Lived”.

Jon describes for us the feeling he gets when visiting with his parents in South Dakota and having the opportunity to visit the graves of his grandparents and great-grandparents.

He says that visiting the mostly vacant farm still stirs an emotion of what was once there and what remains in his heart.

Then Jon shares with us these “two principles for a life well lived” and I love what he captures here,

“In looking at the St. Paul Lutheran cemetery in the middle of flatness, it brings to life these two simple principles:

▪ What you do in your present matters
▪ What you pass forward matters
If we keep these two life principles in mind, we will do just fine.

On farms, people are present. Family is always there; we eat and play together. Work is present, daily chores to do. Making things better is present. Solving problems happens daily, fixing things broken.

And then there is what is passed forward. For farmers, putting in a good day’s work, keeping your family involved, and giving back to the land and community are all things passed forward. Building a foundation for the next generation to take forward and do the same just happens naturally.

For farmers, it is a plant-harvest life cycle. The horizon is the future, and the future is what they work toward through their family and community. Growth happens in much more than just crops; future generations are grown.

We need to be fully present in where we live, and we need to do and say things others will pull forward in a positive way. And the next generation up needs to continue to build and embrace the two simple principles of a life well lived.”

So perfectly spoken!

These are critical lessons for us to embrace in our hearts and to engage in our homes.

A Life Well Lived … Is Not A Dream Destination, It Is A Crafted Creation

The benefits and the blessings of ” a life well lived” are many …

▪ it is an inspirational gift that will have a lingering impact
▪ it is an instructive model that others can learn from and follow
▪ it is an impressive expression of full surrender
▪ it is an incredible testimony of God’s sustaining strength
▪ it is an important assignment for all of us to take on
Do you see why this really matters?

Life changes on so many levels, so what we communicate and care about must remain consistent and clear.

I love this quote by Erwin McManus … “A life well lived is the most exquisite work of art”.

All of Him being seen, in all of me … there is nothing more meaningful than this!

A Life Well Lived … Is Not A Dream Destination, It Is A Crafted Creation

So may it be … in all of us!

-Terry-