Psalm 16:11

You show me the path of life.

    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

O, my friends, that you would

always remember these words.

Your life was not meant

simply to be endured.

Your life was meant to be lived.

This life you live

is not purgatory.

This life you live

is not limbo.

This life you live is not

about treading water

while your legs tire

and the waves threaten

to drag you under.

This life is not about

the wait.

It is not about the promise

of better things right

around the corner.

This life is a gift,

a gift that is not meant

to be buried and tucked away.

It is a gift that God

intends you to use.

It is not a gift that must

sit unopened until the right day.

It is a gift that is meant

to be enjoyed and used today.

Our God is a God of joy

and of love,

a God who laughs and lives

and takes pride and pleasure

in all His children.

A God who knows how precious

and priceless each breath is,

who knows that each heartbeat

is golden and each morning that

we wake and open our eyes

a renewable treasure.

O, my friends, that you would live today,

that you would be filled with God’s love,

that you would know that it is His spirit

that fills your lungs,

that you would use this gift

for His joy,

for your joy,

for the sake of the entire world.

Amen.