There are several interesting verses in the Bible that tell us to maximize our lives. 1 Corinthias 9:22 says, "I have become all things to all men so that by all means possible, I might save some." 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize." Colossians 4:5 says, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all you heart. . . ." Luke 14:33 says, ". . . any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." [Emphasis mine on all verses.] These kinds of verses litter the pages of the Bible. Elijah asked the general middle of the road populace who tended to follow whatever wind might be blowing strongest at the time, "How long will you waver between two opinions?" The half-hearted, wavering, faltering, unsure, uncommitted middle is never a good place in God’s book or on God’s playground. "I wish that you were either cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm . . . ." Not good!
I say this to remind us to maximize our lives, our hours, our days, our words. We should make the most of every opportunity- sharing Christ, living in loving and healthy relationships, seeking God, pursuing justice for the oppressed, helping the weak, etc. I will be burying the old shell of our son (obituary at mem.com), Mitch in a couple of days. We have all walked through a sea of tears. But in that walk, we have scoured his calls and emails of people grieving his loss and telling the stories of his transforming influence in their lives. I am caught up more and more in the reality that he was a "life maximizer". I don’t have a clue how someone at 28 (only 26 healthy years) could impact so many so deeply to do so much. It’s not that Mitch didn’t enjoy tv, sleeping in, and "hanging out" (I’ve never fully figured out what that entails) as is customary with his generation. In fact, sometimes he seemed a little too relaxed for my driven tastes. But, somewhere in the middle of all the "hanging out", he made the most of opportunities to lift up, encourage, tell about Jesus, challenge growth, press toward reconciliation, bring people together and do a number of other very productive, big picture things.
I honestly would have viewed myself at 28 years to have been a life maximizer. Other than having a pretty quick start to a family (maximizing 3 children by 26 years old) and a couple of degrees and being a neophyte to ministry that was about the limit to my maximizing. I worked harder than Mitch, I’m convinced. He worked smarter than me with better focus on the most important things, I’m equally convinced. I’m in favor either. But, one way or another, its a great idea to get in step with the Spirit, who likes to move us at a faster-than-snails pace and a smarter-than-we-think we are pace. I would encourage everyone who has followed these emails to do a life self-analysis. Are we half asleep, caught up in the trivial or self centered, squandering good opportunities to do good? Or, are we red hot, seeking, yearning, prime focus people. Maximize! I’m planning on doing some adjusting myself.