Three Types of Lives: Alive to Thrive

People chose to live the lives they live. No one “makes” them follow a certain lifestyle. Some choose a chaotic, aimless life without purpose or fulfillment. They are “Alive to Survive.”

Others make money, possessions, prestige, power, and position their goals in life. They are driven to succeed, often sacrificing family and friends in the process. They may own a lot of things, but they don’t have many friends. They are “Alive to Arrive.”

The wisest people are “Alive to Thrive.”  They intentionally invest their only and only life in people, not things.  They find fulfillment in pursuing activities that are personally rewarding and beneficial to others.  By seeking to serve others, they finish well and leave a lasting legacy.

According to the Bible, there are only two things that will last through eternity – the Word of God and people.  The most eternally rewarding goal in life is to live out the Word of God by investing yourself in the lives of others.

A.J. Donahue was 18 years old when he died of bone cancer. He spent the last 2 years of life in a hospital and decided to raise money to help it. Parents needed recliners to stay overnight in their children’s rooms. Patients wanted DVD players and video games in their rooms. He launched a website asking people to donate two dollars and receive a sticker with a special logo.  After 6 weeks A.J. met his goal of $50,000.  Although he died 2 days later, people kept sending in money.  The hospital eventually received $76,000. One teenager made a huge difference.

In 1981, Jody Williams was working for a temporary agency when someone handed her a leaflet in the subway.  She volunteered for humanitarian projects in Latin America where she met veterans seeking to ban land mines throughout the world.  In the early 1990’s, she founded the International Campaign to Ban Landmines that now works in over 60 nations.  In 1997 she and her organization won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rae Wilson, a store clerk, opened a canteen on Christmas Eve, 1941 and met every troop train traveling through North Platte, Nebraska from 5:00 in the morning until after midnight.  People came to help from over 200 miles away to distribute food and beverages to the grateful troops.  Imagine serving 300-500 soldiers on a single train in only 10 minutes.  Then imagine that the volunteers repeated this act of love anywhere between 12-20 times each day!  By the end of the war over 125 communities regularly participated in this project.

In 1956 Jim Elliott was one of five missionaries seeking to contact the Auca Indians in Ecuador.  This tribe of forest dwellers had killed many people who had attempted to conquer them.  The missionaries made numerous attempts to communicate their friendly intentions to the Aucas.  Finally, they landed their plane on a crude landing strip.  As the group stepped out of the plane, the Aucas greeted them with spears.  All five men were killed. His wife found these words written in his journal: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Most people are regular folks the world never notices.  But many of these common, ordinary people deliberately choose to impact others far beyond their earthly lives. God specializes in using everyday people to accomplish His purposes. “God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him.”

It’s not too late to plant seeds that will make this world a better place after you’re gone.

© 2011 Designed to Serve®

NOTE: Beginning next week the blog will be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays.