This week marks 6 months until my 20th birthday. I can’t believe my teen years are almost over… where did the time go? I’ve heard some of my friends say once you hit 20 you start to feel old. Well… not this chick 😉
Because I am halfway between 19 and 20 I decided to pull out a letter my friend wrote to me on my last birthday. She knows how to inspire me and this letter is perfect… Here is my favorite part:
“My prayer for you is that you live your life with so much JOY that it overflows; that you read God’s Word and grow greatly in Him; that you cleave unto God and serve Him with all your heart; that you trust Him to guide you through this crazy thing called life; that you embrace your life and live it to the fullest…”
Read that last part again:
“My prayer for you is that… you embrace your life and live it to the fullest.”
Do you love life? The life God has given you… are you embracing it and living it to the full?
I wish I could wholeheartedly say “YES!” to my own question. I have six months left to my teen years. I want them to be the best six months of my life thus far. And no matter how much more time God gives me, I want to love my life, embrace it, and live it to the full. Whether it’s happy or hard it can still be full of joy. My life can be full of growth, embraced, and lived to the full. So can yours!
Here are 5 ways (taken from my friend’s letter) that you and I can love life and live it to the full –right where we are.
How to Love Life and Live it to the Full
“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
1) Live your life with so much joy that it overflows
As Christian young women, we ought to be living with so much joy. I fail in this area so often, but think about it… we have so much to be thankful for! We have hope. We know Who to turn to when life gets rough. We never need to feel lonely because God is there for us, He will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). As a Christian young woman, we need to make the conscious choice to live joyfully. So today, in order to live our life to the full, let’s choose joy. Let’s allow joy to overflow out of our life and into the lives of others.
>>> Related Post: 5 Keys to Lasting Joy and Happiness
2) Read God’s Word and Grow Greatly in Him
God’s Word is food for our soul. The guidebook of our life. His Word is a source of strength for today and hope for tomorrow. How often are you in God’s Word? I think all of us can say, “not nearly enough!” In order to live our lives to the full, we need to be reading God’s Word, soaking it up and letting it saturate our hearts and minds. We need to let God do a work in our hearts and lives. We must grow in Him through reading His Word and talking to Him through prayer. In order to live our life to the full, we must read God’s Word and grow greatly in Him.
3) Cleave to God and Serve Him with all Your Heart
I looked up the word cleave… I wanted a clearer definition than the one I had in my mind. What I found was perfect. It means to “stick fast” to something, or to become emotionally attached to something or someone. Emotional attachment is a very strong thing. It’s like having your heart bound tightly with something, we don’t want to let it go, and it will cause us pain if we do. What would our life be like if we were emotionally attached to God? What would it be like to have our heart bound up in Him? I think we would experience joy beyond what we’ve ever known. We would, as a result, want to serve Him and live for Him with all our heart. You know what a life of service to God would produce? A life lived to the full. The best way to love life is to love God and serve Him.
4) Trust God and Allow Him to Guide You Through Life
Trust. Such a beautiful, yet difficult word. It’s just five letters and it has such a simple meaning. Trust is just believing. Putting confidence in something or someone. So often we put our confidence into things or people that will disappoint. We trust in beauty, but we don’t always measure up. We trust in friendships, but sometimes they come to an end. We even trust ourselves, and then we fail. When we choose to trust God instead, we will know freedom. Freedom from worry and freedom from fear. Peace will flood our souls and joy will fill our hearts. We can place trust and confidence in our God simply because HE IS GOD. He has no limitations and He is the perfect guide. To live our lives to the full we must do this: trust God completely and allow Him to guide us through life.
5) Embrace Your Life and Live it to the Full
Living our life to the full means making some decisions. That includes the decision to embrace life as it is, right where we are. In this moment, on this day. It truly is the day the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24). Your life is the life He has chosen and perfectly planned to give you. My life will be different than yours. Each one of us has been given unique gifts and abilities, a unique set of circumstances, and enough grace for each day. So let’s embrace it all. Let’s accept His grace. We must choose to embrace our life and live it to the full, right where we are.
I Would Love to Know
- Are you choosing to love life… to live it the full?
- There are other ways to love life and live it to the full… what are some things you can add to my list?
God wants us to live an abundant life (John 10:10). That abundant life is found in Him. Embrace the life He has given you and live it to the full.
Thank you, Rebekah! I needed this right now. I find myself comparing my life to others and it is a great reminder that each of us will go through different circumstances and live in different places for a reason! Whenever I am discontent I try to pray and ask God to give me contentment, to remember it isn’t about me but Him (that is another to add to the list….prayer!).
I am glad this post came at good time for you! Last week I was having some of the same struggles… it’s pretty normal but it’s definitely not the way God wants us to live! He came to give us life, and an ABUNDANT life at that! 🙂 He wants us to be rejoicing in Him always, “in whatsoever state”.
Thank you for sharing… Keep striving to do what’s right and God will bless you for it! Love you, friend! ❤️
Rebekah, this is JUST what I needed to read today!! You’ve greatly encouraged me…I realized today that I haven’t been seeking God like I should. I felt ‘stuck,’ like I wasn’t learning anything new from God. Your post has touched my heart. Thank you for writing + sharing.
Now I need to read this again and let it sink in more. 🙂
With joy in Christ,
~Tashia
Tashia, I am so glad this was a help to you. I have experienced some of the same feelings before… and yes, when we spend time seeking God He WILL show us new things from His Word about Himself. Keep seeking HIM! ♥
I am definitely guilty of dreading birthdays and feeling old all the time lol I really love what you said about joy. Not only do I want to have joy in my life, but I want it to spill over into others’ lives! I think it’s so good that I will pin it lol I’m not the type to pin EVERYTHING, but I want to remember that!
Haha! Thanks for pinning it 🙂 I’m glad you like the quote… my friend was certainly on to something 🙂
As always, great food for thought and very well written 🙂 The one sentence you said “We never need to feel lonely because God is there for us.” I have been pondering that lately as I have been feeling very alone. I know there are many verses saying that we are not alone (and I know I am not I just FEEL that way)… but I was still struggling. “Only” having God with me still seemed alone. In my devotions this morning I read John 16:32… “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” It really struck me that Jesus was alone, truly alone. He knew what it felt like and yet his Father was enough for him. Thank you for bringing that thought back to my mind this afternoon. I think God is trying to tell me something 😉
Thank you, Mrs. E!
It’s always sooo hard when you “feel” a certain way even though you know it isn’t true. I think it’s really hard to think of God being enough because we can’t physically see, touch, or hear Him. I guess that’s where faith comes in! I also really like that verse and that thought… Thank you for sharing 🙂 I will be praying for you! ♥
Yes!! I’ve really pondered this too. How come we feel alone with God!? I believe it is an indication that our focus isn’t on the Bible or the person of God as it should be.
I have been feeling alone lately as well. I think God has been teaching/ reminding me that I am not alone. This morning I read in John 14 that Jesus didn’t leave the earth to leave us comfortless. He sent the Holy Ghost which is the Comforter. Jesus says don’t let your heart be troubled. I am so thankful for God’s promises and truths. I’m so happy that we are never alone, even though we sometimes feel that way. I have been thinking on the verse Hebrews 13:5. I think God has been teaching me I am not alone and to trust in Him with that promise.I know I need to live my life and live it to its fullness. Thank you, Rebekah, for posting. So glad I found this encouraging blog. Love you!!!
Thank you for sharing, Michaela. You are definitely not alone!! And thank you for sharing those verse references as well…
So happy to have you a part of my blog… I’m glad you found it ❤️
Good points! While we all want to live life to the full, we must always remember that serving Him, and letting Him lead our lives means accepting “no” from Him at times. Sometimes He leaves us alone to call us out on not prioritizing Him! And while it’s fun to be carefree at times, and get so invested in “my life, and doing what I love,” we must remember it’s not our life to live to the fullest. It’s The Lord’s! So we need to find our contentment in Him, investing our lives as His servants! We won’t feel so lonely then 🙂 John 12:26 “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” Jesus words were in red in this verse 🙂 Could you imagine being next to Jesus doing work for Him? We’d be so much less lonely, and so much more cautious about our actions and motives.
I just read that verse a few days ago in my devotions! Thank you for sharing it and for bringing out some great points as well! 🙂
I absolutely love life, but sometimes I still get discouraged or discontented with the way things are. I love keeping busy and I’m always pushing towards productivity–so much so that when I fall short of my own expectations, or life slows down and nothing much “exciting” is happening I grow dissatisfied.
It’s been something I’m working on–savoring the little beautiful things, and taking the time to enjoy what God has given me now. It’s gotten a lot easier, although I still have trouble sometimes. 😛
So that’s one thing I’d say is important for me at least (towards loving life), and that is contentment. Reaching for high goals, or trying for “better” is great–but if that means that I’m not valuing where I’m at RIGHT NOW as much, then it’s time to slow down and get a proper perspective again.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6:6
http://www.victoriaminks.com
Victoria, you sound like me!! I can get frustrated and discouraged as well. And it’s usually because I am not being as productive as I would like. It’s definitely a joy and contentment stealer!
Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
I never felt old at that age! 🙂 It’s still the age of learning! Even at my age, I don’t consider real life to have started. It’s not full of the same responsibilities as wives as mothers until we are at that point. Maybe someone in their 20’s and married might find being 20 the age to feel older if they’re already at that point of life. Just take it one day at a time, enjoy the little things, doing for others, and above all – serving The Lord in every thought, intention, and action! Other than working and serving The Lord, we don’t have a whole lot of stress on our plates to make us feel that way, (at least not for me.) 🙂 If we focus on what’s important, God will give us the next step in life in His time, enjoy it! 🙂 God Bless you!
Life is so much better when we live it with God! 🙂 Great post! I definitely try to love life and live it to the full!