Flourishing Life

“A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” — D. Elton Trueblood

How many people have invested in your life? Parents. Teachers. Youth ministers. Coaches. Mentors. Pastors. Friends.

A guest preacher came to our church when I was young. He was the former pastor of the church where my father was serving at the time. It was a relatively small church in rural Warren County. Dad introduced him to the congregation just before he spoke, sharing all his accomplishments since he left that church, which were many. When the man stood up to speak he said that he felt like a turtle on a fence post: if you ever see one you know he didn’t get up there on his own.

We are all like the turtle. We didn’t get where we are on our own. Someone helped us. Someone along the way invested energy and effort into our lives. Ultimately, God is the one who invested in us and made it possible for us to live life and experience hope and fulfillment. Our lives are God’s gift to us. How we live our lives are our gifts to God and others. How are you investing your life?