The term “abundant life” comes from the Bible verse John 10:10b, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” “More abundantly” means to have a superabundance of a thing. “Abundant life” refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for spirit, soul and body.
I have just completed a house sit/pet minding assignment in the Bay of Plenty. The wee dog is an elderly West Highland Terrier, aka a “Westie”. She is 15 years old which is a good innings for a wee dog.
I have been privileged to have been visiting and caring for this wee girl over the last couple of years. When you are spasmodically popping into their life, you became acutely aware of the changes associated with aging. This wee dog has “slowed down” a wee bit. She is also fairly deaf, a development which means in order to keep her safe, when she is out, she must be on a lead as she can no longer hear you call her. Instead of long leisurely exploring walks along the beach, her owners exercise her with short walks along the estuary near where they live.
LIFE for this wee dog has changed considerably, the physical limits are greatly considered.
Though mindful of this, I dared to take her to the beach one day. It has always been her “happy place”.
This meant preparing the back seat of the car to transport her. As soon as the car was free of the garage, the wee dog had an element of excitement about her and sat as patiently as her wriggling bottom and wagging tail would allow, on the deck as I tucked in the dog cover over the back seats. No sooner was it done, than she took a flying leap up onto the seat, and I swear she had smile on her face. As soon as I opened the door after parking up at the beach, she shot out with a spurt of energy and pulled me down the sandy track to the shore.
There, she was infused with LIFE. She rolled in the sand, checked every piece of washed-up seaweed and driftwood, turned over shells, ran after gulls and splashed through the shallows. She was TRANSFORMED!
With an enthusiastic wag of her tail, she greeted every other person and dog we encountered. In the case of other dogs, she become a puppy, playing, bouncing, leaping, rolling, and barking as she danced and romped in play. She fully embraced LIFE in the moment.
Many of the dog owners enquired of her age as we conversed and expressed surprise and pleasure at her JOY, and STRENGTH of SPIRIT, SOUL, and BODY.
Physical limits had no place in this moment.
There was no shortened version of our walk,
God dropped this thought into my heart……….
When you are in a place you LOVE, (your happy place) you will find LIFE in all its ABUNDANCE.
So, WHERE is your “happy place” ……WHERE do you want to be more than anywhere else?
When you are with someone you really want to be with more than anyone else, you will find LIFE in all its ABUNDANCE.
So, WHO do you want to be with more than anyone else?
May our “happy place” be the presence of Jesus. May we learn how to spend time with the One who is desperate to spend time with us. May we allow Him to TRANSFORM us, so we can fully embrace the ABUNDANT LIFE, that He promises to us. The LIFE He died to give us.
Blessings Carole