BFTJ - August 23 - The Quality of Life
Today was one of my favorite days each year at our congregation. It was our annual Dixieland Sunday (side note: this was the 30th anniversary of it!) and the service is filled with great music and just a great spirit and energy. I love it. In the service today we were richly blessed by a duet singing the Louis Armstrong classic, "What a Wonderful World" (side note: which also happened to be the song that was playing on a mix when our first children were born). As you can see in the picture, our two singers were two rather different people, yet they sang beautifully together and the words just touched all who were in attendance in worship.
Nouwen wrote in today's devotional about the quality of our lives. He accurately notes that "far more important than our quantity of years is the quality of our lives...We do not know how long we will live, but this not knowing calls us to live every day, every week, every year of our lives to its fullest potential." These words strongly resonated with me as I reflect on this wonderful duet. I loved the way that these two very different people came together to make something sound richer, deeper, more moving than it could be on its own. It was them using the gifts that God has given them. That's what I think helps me with thinking about the quality of my life. Its using what God has given me and me seeking to help further God's kingdom - living living living.