Carpe Diem

Well for us in South Dakota, everyday in October that it isn’t snowing is a blessing. Yesterday was one of those days. It was 70 degrees and light wind, the trees are in beautiful color and the road was calling.

I called up some friends and we hit the road for a fun filled day in the sun. We put about 175 miles on the bikes through the Iron Mountian Road in the Black Hills of South Dakota and even managed to get a little sunburned. What a great day!

Carpe Diem!

They say seize the day and all that comes with it. So, what does that mean to you? And, are you seizing it? Do you even know what it means to seize this day?

Our culture has gotten so busy that I’m not sure we know how to do it or if we’d even have time to do it. I always think back to the old Robin Williams movie Dead Poets Society, where he taught a class of young men how to do just that, – seize the day.

I think we fall into the same trap these young men did. We live life each day going about our business but we never get past the point of just living life in a rut of routines. You get up, go to work, come home, have dinner, go to bed, repeat the cycle. Then on Friday or Saturday night maybe go out and get hammered and see if you can find love, even if only for the night. You may have gotten into a cycle that you don’t even question it. We don’t see life flying by us day by day and we never hang onto all that it has to offer or who it has to offer that are right in front of us.

You don’t have to be single to live this kind of life, married people do it too. Whether its your job or your marriage we have been blinded by busyness. I have found over the years that busy is the true killer of dreams. And without dreams we can never really live the life we were created for. God has put inside of you a wonderful gift of life and hope. You know deep down inside that without hope you never really live life either.

As I read in my devotions today Peter gives us a way to uncover a piece of Carpe Diem. When you realize that when you live out the gifts that only God has given you then the blessing of living life to the fullest will present itself to you.

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What are your gifts?

A question I ask my students that take my ETHOS class is… “If money or time was not an issue, what would you be doing right now?”

This is after of course you say, “Take a year off” “Travel the world” stuff like that. When you get past that, what is it your thinking of right now that you would love to do because it not only brings you joy but it brings you fulfillment. That, is where the dreams and hope of God really lives. We’ll talk more about that later, but for today, act out on something that God has put inside of you for the benefit of others and see what just a little bit of Carpe Diem will do for you today.

Have a great day!!!

Bryan