LIVING WELL

How many times it crosses our minds the thought that twenty years from now we will be more disappointed by the things we didn't do than by the ones we did so?

As Mark Twain said, 'Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'

Yes, on the same token, we must give every day the chance to become the most beautiful of our lives without forgetting that we are members of the body of Christ and therefore comfort and edify one another. We all have different needs during different seasons of our lives. Sometimes we feel we can fly, other times we might feel like we can barely walk. It is critical, then, that we remember others and learn to reach out and help when we see a need. Although this should be a very important trait in our lives, we must, above all, live in such a way that Mark Twain's words become a reality. He, once wrote, 'endeavour so to live that, when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry'.

These words about living emphasize conducting ourselves in such a way that others will feel the loss of our departure. That can only come if we concern ourselves with the well-being of others.

One of the factors that made this American writer so beloved was the wisdom he could express with a hint of humor. There have been times in history when people have rejoiced at the death of one man and times when they have mourned the death of another. Some are loved, and some are hated, and some are simply indifferent.

Jesus summed up in Luke 6:35-38, the teachings of the Bible with the simple words teaching to love others, do good, give, be merciful and judge not. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. However, if we treat others generously, graciously and compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure.

He said our reward would be great. That reward is in the future, but it also results in the sorrow expressed by people when our life is over. Even the undertaker will not rejoice over his added income.