“Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)…
….What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”
Apple narrated their new iPad commercial with some very familiar phrasing. Robin Williams renewed his iconic portrayal of the disruptive Professor Keating from “Dead Poet’s Society” by reading these verses from Uncle Walt. As you probably remember, Keating invited the students of the hallowed halls of Hillman to dream beyond their carefully orchestrated future to something far grander.
The Apple folks brilliantly point to a life beyond the life you are living. They posit that there may be something more just beyond the cubicle of your office, the boundaries of your manicured yard, or your carefully planned retirement. Sound familiar.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
I love the pairing of the first and second thoughts contained in that verse. The reason that the verses from Whitman are so stirring and the images of life abundant so evocative in that iPad commercial, is due to the inherent truth they contain. There is a life intended beyond the one we know and finding that is more assaulted than anything else I’ve ever known. You could almost recast that verse to say that because Jesus came to offer us abundant life, our enemy is waiting to destroy us.
For if you can find the life coherent to the one He uniquely created and intended for you to live, everything changes. It is the game changer of all game changers. (The entire OFB vision and Scott’s journey is sourced there.)
A couple of weeks ago we sat around our dinner table with 16 folks from our church. The many conversations and voices blurred into one when I started to talk about heading to Montana for 5 days to help translate a 2 day one-on-one experience called a Strategic Lifeplan into a group experience. For in that retreat the answer to the secret question that every person know’s but dares not ask is typically found… Why do I exist?
“The hour I first believed was over 30 years ago in a Waco dorm.
The hour I first really understood what that meant, was 10 years ago at a boot camp in Colorado.
The hour I first knew why I existed came 5 years ago through a Strategic Lifeplan.”
In a God-breathed experience with a coach:
- The currency of challenging life circumstance was monetized
- God’s glory manifest in the best times were highlighted
- Unique gifting and abilities were identified
- Passions written on my heart were awakened
- An incontrovertible path forward emerged
Every day since that experience has been different. I’ll never be the same.
It is amazing how Apple can tap into our unique creation, awaken the sleepers, and invite us into a life that was accomplished for all of us on the cross… but realized by painfully few.
- Are you living the life you were intended to live?
- What are you willing to sacrifice to find it?