What is a life worth living?
What kind of life is it that the one living it will look back on it and say, “That life was totally worth it”?
What life is the one that won’t have countless regrets at the end of it?
This life is a special one. Rare, a gem in the desert, an emerald among quartz.
And yet, anyone can choose to have this life. A life worth living.
It’s all about choices. Daily decisions to put the tough, the meaningful, the deep, the valuable–above the cheap, the fun, the temporal, the fleeting, the amusing.
A life worth living.
A life that is not just one life isolated, but a network–vast, unending, fused together with all the other lives that were connected by the touch of that one life.
That life is not remembered for itself, but for how it was lived.
That life is remembered, not by its own merit, but by its worth bestowed upon it by the generations following.
That life is truly worth it when the life itself is swallowed up in the mists of time, and yet its continuing influence only grows, expands, and transforms the lives beyond its initial reach.
This life–it’s not seen very often today. It’s rare and precious, and even when it does happen, it is so often obscured by the superficial culture that it is gone before someone chances to discover it from the past and raise it up to a great pedestal for future generations to emulate.
The Superwoman Mom. The Empathic Mailman. The Courageous Black Rights Activist. The Eccentric Inventor. The Passionate Writer. The Child Orphanage Volunteer.
We remember them after they are gone, we memorialize them, we eulogize them, we are grateful for their improvements to our lives, spiritually, physically, mentally, personally, professionally.
Why do we not recognize these people before it is too late to thank them personally?
And yet, they do not ask for our praise. They do not seek after approbation and acclamation.
That is what makes this life so rare and valuable.
This life is simple, quiet, fervent, focused. It is others-centered instead of self-centered.
It will keep on working tirelessly, endlessly, whether it sees results or not. It is not a quitter. It is not lazy. It is not frivolous. It is not avaricious. It is not arrogant.
It is loving, caring, compassionate. It is kind, humble, gentle. It is strong, courageous, determined. It is sacrificial, recklessly passionate, utterly fulfilling. It believes in hope, in truth, in justice. It endures the hard times; it comes out victorious.
It is a life worth living.
~ Lily Jane
{1 Corinthians 13}
My Lily Jane Life 