Fully Alive

Fully Alive 
My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. (John 10:10) 

R. Buckminster Fuller was one of the most creative minds of the twentieth century. His list of inventions would take an entire book to discuss. In 1933 he developed the three-wheeled, rear-engine “Dymaxion Car,” which became the prototype for most of today’s streamlined automobiles. He created the first spherical, cartographic projection of the world ever to be granted a U.S. patent. And in 1947 he made scientific history by inventing the geodesic dome—his most famous, if not significant, contribution to society. When asked about his inventions, Fuller credited his creativity to a freak happening during his childhood years. As a very young boy, Fuller went to bed one night and woke up blind. Medical experts were baffled. 

There seemed to be no reason for his sudden lack of sight. It just happened. For several years he remained blind, until one morning, to everyone’s surprise, he awoke able to see. He had regained his sight just as suddenly and unexpectedly as he had lost it. To this day the event has baffled doctors and scientists alike. Fuller later explained that when his sight came back, the world suddenly proved new and exciting to him. He saw things more clearly than ever before. Every sunrise seemed a miracle. The sky, the trees, the ocean took on a heightened level of wonder. And because of his passion for the world around him, he was able to open up a world of creativity and discovery beyond anything he had ever imagined before. 

For the believer, Jesus brings that same kind of wonder and passion and discovery. Instead of seeing the world through eyes of darkness and confusion, we suddenly see everything with new eyes and new hope. Where once we saw limitation, we now see possibility. Everything is new. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus says (John 8:12), and through that light we are able to see beyond the here and now and into the hereafter.  When Jesus tells us, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” (John 10:10), he is telling us what we can expect if we allow him to open our eyes to the truth of God’s Word. Jesus doesn’t just show us a better way to die; he shows us a better way to live. Abundantly. Completely and fully alive. 

 Today’s Reading  John 8:12; 10:10  

Reflection  Are you still walking in darkness in your life? If so, what would Jesus have you do? How can you come to the light of Jesus?