As a chaplain, I sometimes meet people near the point of their death. At this point people assess their life journey. I hear statements such as; "I have lived a full life, I have no regrets, I am ready to go".
Among the living strong, people also assess lives of other people. Talking about a friend who is old, still have a mistress, and enjoying himself, someone I know commented- that is life! The cycle of work and then enjoying the retirement years is the life many people hope for. When we see a person who is so disabled, some people comment- this is not the way to live!
But what is life and how is life to be lived? Jesus made a statement, "I have come to give them life and life to the fullest". What is this thing called a full life? Jesus even says he is life, that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. He even calls people to come to him to have life.
Physical life is given by the breath of God. Food, drink, oxygen comes from the hand of God and are necessary to sustain life. Therefore when Jesus says he is life, it probably includes the idea of him being the source of life, a claim of deity. However, Jesus' discourse on life seem to indicate that there is more to life than the physical, and that the full life comes from him. It is not something to be attained by working hard or keeping healthy, but through connection with him.
In the movie Sixth Sense, the boy who sees ghosts made what I thought was a profound statement- "I see dead people, thinking they are alive but they are not." Could it be that as we look around, that we are looking at people who are not really alive? I don't mean it literally of course. Could we count the people who just go through the motions of life the living dead? Could we count those who focus on endlessly amusing themselves the living dead? Their bodies are alive but their spirits may be dead, not connected to a greater purpose. From the outside, people may be longing to be in their shoes. But in the inside, their souls may be rotting in despair, descending into the mire of selfishness and greed. This is what I believe to be the dying spirit, a spirit that has lost its connection to any sense of purpose. It may have connections (other humans?) that make it look alive for awhile. For example, a parent whose life is wrapped around her child. However, because anything in creation is not eternal, those connections will not last. The child will eventually leave the parent.
Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches. Branches not connected to the vine may look alive but is in the process of dying. Our bodies are all in the process of dying. Branches connected to the vine are connected to the life of the vine. It produces fruit, which signifies the spiritual growth of the individual. That spiritually flourishing individual brings righteousness to the world around him, making the world a better place. The being itself of the branches serves the grand purpose of God's reaching out to humanity. That is life to the fullest, serving God's purpose in creation. Since the vine is eternal, evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus, the branches are also eternal.
In my morbid moments, I think of my death. Would I be able to say I have lived a full life? I cannot imagine pointing at the things I will leave behind. I can imagine thinking of my connection, my faith, in the one who is life itself. I could imagine thinking of how he has given my life meaning, lifting up my spirit, by his grace, as I walked in this world he has placed me. I would not imagine a life that could have been fuller. It is full, even in dark moments, because of my relationship with Jesus.
