Our theme for this month: “You Gotta Keep Dancing”
Our Bible verse for today: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (CSB)
Our thought for today: “Learn to love your life”
Our theme this month has been inspired by Tim Hansel’s great little book “You Gotta Keep Dancin”. It’s about how Tim learned to live a full and productive life despite living in constant pain as a result of a rock climbing accident earlier in life.
The accident was a really big deal. It changed Tim’s life dramatically. As a young man he was a strong, adventurous, physically fit athlete. He had an M.A. and M.B.A. from Stanford. He had planned to remain strong and athletic for the rest of his life as he pursued amazing adventures and had great success in the business world. But that’s not how his life unfolded. Instead his body was broken, he lived in pain, he hobbled a lot, and he spent much of his time writing and speaking rather than climbing cliffs and riding white water rapids.
But Tim discovered the joy and fulfillment that was available to him in his new life. It was there, he just needed to find it, embrace it, and be grateful for it. He wrote, “I survived because I’ve discovered a new and different kind of joy that I never knew existed – a joy that can coexist with uncertainty and doubt, pain, confusion, and ambiguity.”
Psalm 16:6 is one of my favorite Bible passages and one of my personal life verses. I recite it to myself fairly often. It helps me to remember that despite the trials and difficult circumstances I am often faced with in the life that I have, there is also much joy and adventure – there are many good things to be appreciated and to be thankful for. Life isn’t perfect, and I have my share of problems just like you do, but still “the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places”.
Our series for this month is almost over and we won’t be looking into Tim’s book any further; but before we leave it I will share with you one more helpful and inspiring thought from him:
“Each of us gets a second chance every day, if we would just open our eyes to the possibilities … life is not so much meant to be understood as it is to be lived out; it is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be participated in fully.”
I encourage you to live life fully. Embrace the mystery. Enjoy the adventure. Learn to love your life.
Oak Hill Baptist Church