Why we forget life is precious

Life is precious. One day things are good, then the world crashes in. A person in your circle is here one day, gone in a tragic event the next. One day you live on a seaside community, the next your community doesn’t exist because a tsunami wiped it away.

At these moments we know that whatever good we experience in this life is a bit more fleeting. And so we hug friends and family a bit tighter for a few days.

But then we tend to go back to existing. Existing is that form of living that does not consider blessings, opportunities, etc. Rather, it is a form of living that reacts to the moment without awareness of the greater meaning of life. When we live a reactive life we become enslaved to the next thing, the “need” or desire in front of us.

We forget because we lose perspective. It is hard to keep perspective in mind while caring for the mundane things of life. The way to keep perspective is to put ourselves regularly in spaces that will encourage wider thinking. Here are some ideas (no particular order):

1. Caring for others less fortunate. Seeing someone else’s needs usually stimulates our being grateful for what we have.

2. Reading from another’s perspective. The best way to do this, as a Christian, is to be in the Word. The next best way to do this is to be connected to others who Love God but come from another culture.

3. Have a couple of questions that you practice asking yourself about family members. What is God up to in his/her life? How is this person showing signs of growth? It is easy to come up with any set of questions but harder to remember to ask them.

4. Prayer for the world. Gets us out of our own wants.

5. Ask others: What has happened to you today that is worth remembering? Too often we only remember what isn’t working. Meditating on worthier subjects reminds us that everything in the world is not broken all the time.

6. Remember your history. The Bible is full of reminders of what God is up to in the world. The prophets wanted Israel to remember who they were (God’s chosen) by recalling their history.



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4 responses to “Why we forget life is precious

  1. Amy

    “We forget because we lose perspective.”

    I love that line. It’s so true. We forget about WHO we are because of Chris. Once we do that, it seems like everything else falls apart. I like that you offered a list of ways to connect with God and others. A lot of times people write emotional blog posts that lack practical advice. Sometimes I think, I lose perspective, now what? Thank you for always helping readers know how to move forward. 🙂

  2. Scott Knapp

    ** LIKE **

  3. D. Stevenson

    I have a relative that regularly does #3. Interesting thing is that it makes another relative uncomfortable. I think for the second relative the questions conflict with what she considers culturally/personally acceptable intimacy.

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