The timing was ironic.
Our local
“greatest hits” FM station was playing on my car radio. I was traveling south
and encountered a funeral procession heading north.
Reality interfaced with
entertainment.
The irony was the song playing on the radio was Bon Jovi’s “It’s
My Life.”
As the lengthy procession passed by I
wondered if the deceased had ever said, or sung, ”It’s my life! I just want to
live while I’m alive.” How long had they
lived? Was their death sudden? Were they happy with their life? Did they
accomplish their goals? Were they a person of religious faith? Did they think
their life mattered?
Jon
Bon Jovi, reflecting on the broad appeal of his song said, “When I was writing
‘It's My Life’, I thought I was writing very self-indulgently about my own life
and where I was in it. I didn't realize that the phrase ‘It's My Life’ would be
taken as being about everyone - teenagers, older guys, mechanics, whoever.
"It's my life, and I'm taking control. Everyone kind of feels that way
from time to time.” The song struck a chord and soared to #1
worldwide in 2000.
Talk about tapping into the collective
conscious.
Red
Smith, the late NY Times sports communist wrote, “Dying is no big deal. The
least of us will manage that. Living is the trick.” So how are you doing with
that?
January
is such a timely month to think about living. Are you happy with your life? Do
you know that you matter? What are your hopes and dreams for 2019? What better
time than today to make a change.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Proverbs 3:5,6
1.
You can’t choose where you came from but you can choose where you go from here.
Envision new beginnings or start overs. Shed the disappointments of yesterday
and schedule purposeful appointments for your success in the coming year.
2.
Set aside time to meet with God. Daily. Don’t lean solely on your own
understanding. Determine in all your ways to acknowledge God. Trust God to
direct your steps.
3. To borrow from Jon Bon, “Each one of
you has something no one else has, or has ever had: your fingerprints, your
brain, your heart. Be an individual. Be unique. Stand out. Make noise. Make
someone notice. That's the power of individuals.”
Writing is a craft that I will amplify this
year. I will make 2019 a year to stand out, make noise
and leave my fingerprints on life changes for readers wherever God and the
digital world take my words.
No reserves. No retreats. No regrets.
Take a lesson from Jon
Bon. It’s your life. Make it a hit.
I am
a recovering perfectionist, who collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and
drinks Iced
Tea. My office walls are adorned with our sons’ framed football jerseys,
and my library shelves, with soul food. I write to grow hope, inspire
people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover
their life purpose.
Please follow my writing at Pointes Of View.
Please follow my writing at Pointes Of View.
What excellent tips to ponder! Thanks Bob.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post Bob. I've entered the NY struggling with where I am at. Already some plans that were important to me have fallen through and it's only Jan. 6!! But this encouraged me to make new plans. I really enjoyed your interspersed thoughts between the song and the funeral procession. It was a great analogy to make us think!
ReplyDeleteLove the way Reality and Radio interfaced to inspire this blog. Thank you, great practical tips as well ... and here I am, similar to Gloria above, thinking it's only Jan 6 & I'm uncertain about envisioning new beginnings for my writing :-) With tip #2, it could happen.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed and I appreciate what you're saying here, Pastor Bob. It's interesting and it has resolve. Blessings to you and yours for the New Year, even when it gets to be an old year, whenever that is . . .
ReplyDelete