To Be Enlightened With the Light of the Living

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In my morning devotions, I read a couple of verses that caught my attention. They are found in Job 33:29-30. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living. How poetic!

In this passage, Elihu is speaking and explaining the "whys" and "hows" of Job's suffering. I am not sure of the exact application that Elihu was making in his statement, but I can tell you the thought that it conjured up in my mind.

Many times in this life, we are so busy living that we forget to enjoy living. Think about it, when was the last time you did something just for fun? Yesterday? Last week? Last year? You can't remember? We work so hard trying to provide a better life for ourselves and our loved ones, but that's insane if we're going to be too busy to enjoy it. Am I saying we shouldn't work? Absolutely not. But I know in my own life, with family, church obligations, writing, piano lessons, etc, there is very little time left to "stop and smell the roses." Half the time I don't even see the roses because they are just a blur as I speed by to accomplish the next thing on my "to do" list.

Recently, God has opened my eyes to the realization that I had worked myself into a pit, just like in the verse above. Instead of enjoying life, I charge through trying to get as much accomplished as possible, leaving myself drained, weary, and depressed. This is dangerous ground, as it leaves me vulnerable to the attacks of the devil. It is important to work hard, but it is even more important to know when enough is enough. I go back to the verse, "Be still, and know that I am God." There is a time to stop and enjoy life. Are we taking advantage of that time?

I believe the verses above indicate that God will sometimes allow us to go through trials to make us stop and re-evaluate some things in our lives. During that evaluation, we are given the opportunity to see what is really important and to make the choice to enlighten our lives "with the light of the living." Enjoy today. Hug a friend. Call a loved one. Take a walk. Laugh. Do something you haven't done in years. LIVE!