Do not die during Easter!
There are stories that live forever and mark time.
YOUR life if well-lived and invested in making a difference will inspire someone to live with confidence and faith. This is the story of Easter. The story of sacrifice, the story of love-eternal and the story of transformation. It is a story of eternity, a story of change and a story of seeing the big picture and taking bold steps. It is the story of Jesus.
Mr. John Dryden was born in 1631 in the town of Northamptonshire, England. He was the eldest of 14 children. Dryden was considered one of the outstanding and influential poets in Restoration England. Nations go through seasons and in each season there are voices of inspiration that inspire courage. In England, the restoration was the period between 1660 and 1800. It saw the revival of theatre, art and scientific inquiry. There was a moral awakening.
In the same manner, this moment is like no other moment in history. Every moment counts. You can choose to also make this moment count. You can choose to step out of slumber.
You can choose to step out of your grave. Rise and make your mark. Unleash your greatness, unlock your gifts and be engaged. Do not die while living. This moment has been waiting for you to show up. There are opportunities present that may never come again. There is no one who can be you, and you cannot subcontract your life to someone else. Do not let this opportunity pass you by because you were waiting for a better day to live.
Dryden put his talents to work and became a playwright, writing various plays. In the
literary world he etched his permanent place. It was not with the longest of his writing but the shortest one, a poem entitled: "Happy the man."
Happiness is a quality of spirit. It is a decision to be present in the moment. Never be disappointed because your role looks small or that your own punch looks weak. Just do the best you can with what you have.
Dryden's poem carries a potent message
and yet breaks all the grammatical rules that English teachers meticulously teach regarding the use of propositions, the ending of sentences and other rules of good writing style. Express what is in your spirit and refuse to be bound by the limitations that other people place on you. Life is not a straight line and rules are made, changed and improved by people.
Life can be compared to a piece of writing.
Each day is a paragraph in your book. Each season is a chapter. Do not freeze in the current chapter. The book is not ended. Keep writing and living out your mission. What you think is a full-stop, could just be comma or colon. Endings could just be beginnings. Your times of desperation could be your season of greatest discovery and growth. This moment of your life is not a terminal point, but the beginning of your greatness. The moment of
Jesus' death looked like an end but it was just the beginning. Do not let people feel pity for you because you are going through a rough season. Keep moving and riding high. You are writing your story of inspiration.
Mr. Dryden's poem reads: "Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.
Be fair or foul or rain or shine,
The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.
Not Heaven itself upon the past has power,
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour."
Do not just live for the sake of living. Live with courage and do your best today. Carry your cross. Do what you have to do and do not give up. Face whatever you need to face and do not run away.
Be present in this moment.
No one lives forever, we are all mere tenants with leases that have different lengths of tenure. Value this moment and shine your light while you still have it. Each moment is valuable and ought to be lived well, knowing that one day you will be gone.
Live and do not take yourself off the shelf of life before your "sell-by" expiry date. Instead of fearing to die, fear that you might not live fully and leave a dent on the universe. Aim to live. Focus on living and stop dreaming of dying. Stop wishing you were dead and be grateful that you are alive.
You shall die someday, but make sure that is not during Easter. It is not how you die that matters but how you live and what difference you would have made. Do your best in your humble corner. Life is meant to be lived and "not died". Every day wake up ready and engaged. Live well with purpose, making the most of every living moment.
There is no value in being half-dead, half-committed and half-there. There are no half hearted champions and your best moment is this one. Live for your Saviour and follow his example. This very life you are living is special. Quit living in the past. Stop dreaming of the future and forgetting to be here, right now. Rob the grave of your gifts, dreams and potential. Make it your aim that you will die empty having done your best and lived your best.
Do not worry about who will attend your funeral, be concerned about being absent from this moment. It is not what you take to the grave that matters but what you leave as your decent contribution.
Where would you choose to be buried if you have unleashed your greatness, transformed entire industries, changed the world, made real money and have become a global celebrity? For the late Steve Jobs, the answer was clear, straightforward and not debatable. In his will he clearly stated that he wanted to be buried in an unmarked grave.
For him it is not the tomb that mattered or the funeral ceremony. He was not looking at making his grave a shrine, but contributing to making people's lives better through computer technology that appealed to the individual. It is he that popularised the concept of the personal computer and personal gadgets that were an extension of you as a person and mirrored your personality.
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