I get emails from my friend Robbie all the time. Many of them are about friendship and wishing folks the best in all things. The one I received today struck me as strange. It ended with the wish/prayer, “May 2009 be the best year of your life.” I read this first thing in the morning and was just taking my first sip of coffee so I may have been crabby. I didn’t object to 2009 being a good year, even better than any other year but for 2009 to be the best year of my life!? I suppose that’s OK if I drop dead soon but what if I have a few more years left before this ravaged carcass gives out? There wouldn’t be much to look forward to. I would prefer 2009 to be maybe one of the top 5 years of my life.

This got me thinking about God’s wish/prayer for us. This intention is verbalised by Jesus when he said, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). No matter where you are, from literal to progressive, on the biblical interpretation scale, this statement means that God desires us to experience the fullness of life, a fullness that would make every year a best year. Its scary thinking what living a truly abundant life might entail. Of course we would relish the great things, like finding true love or discovering our Spirit connection with Creation; but what about having to also experience deep sorrow, great loss or separation from Spirit? That would all have to be part of the abundant life experience. With this in mind, perhaps it is human nature to settle for something less, to live a moderated life where we may not experience the great highs, but also we avoid those dark lows. Perhaps Jesus is teaching us that God wants us to break free and go for the gusto. Live on the edge. After all, we are not in this life to compete for the “Who Led the Best Moderated Life Award” that is supposedly handed out in the afterlife. We are here to fully experience THIS life. Do we have the guts to do it?

I have a theory that the reason we can touch, smell, taste, see and hear is that we are the tiny speck of creation through which God (that non-human, imponderable being) experiences those physical sensations. To those five physical senses we must also add our emotional being. Taken all together, that is where living abundantly comes in. By touching, smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing and feeling to the maximum, we are living life abundantly, therefore enabling God to live abundantly too. By living moderately we are crippling God. The Creator must be able to appreciate the giddy highs and depressing lows that come with abundant living and I guess part of Jesus’ message is, being part of the Godspirit, we can handle them as well. Are we brave enough? Trusting enough? Can we understand that there are blessings contained in the lows?

I know that Robbie intended nothing but the best in the wish she sent me because that’s just the way she is. We are at the opening of chapter 2009 in our lives. My wish/prayer for Robbie and for everyone is that in 2009, may you live life abundantly. May the highs be exhillerating and may any lows bring meaning and discovery of a silver lining. “How do I start living abundantly?” you may well ask. A great place to start would be to take Bishop Spong’s advice to “love wastefully.” Think of the highs and lows that can come from just that one action. I’m gonna give it a try. I’ll keep you posted. I hope you’ll try it too and let me know how it works out for you.

May 2009 be an abundant year.

Peace

Dave   

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