Only One Life to Live

“…whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” 

Luke 9:24-25

Many liked watching celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain enjoy his food and explore the world in episodes of his Emmy awarded travel and food show “Parts Unknown”. He also wrote several best sellers, both fiction and non-fiction. In one of his books, he described his childhood: “I did not want for love or attention. My parents loved me. Neither of them drank to excess. Nobody beat me. God was never mentioned so I was annoyed by neither church nor any notion of sin or damnation." And this is a quotation he became famous for: “Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride."

It seemed obvious to almost everybody that he enjoyed his life, and so it was shocking when he killed himself in a scenic hotel in Kayserberg, France, in 2018. Gladys, his mother, told The New York Times: "He is absolutely the last person in the world I would have ever dreamed would do something like this."

Sometimes we think if we have everything the world considers beautiful, desirable, and exciting, we would be happy. We look at Instagram posts about people traveling to exotic places, eating delicious food cooked by celebrity chefs, wearing expensive clothes by designers, and sometimes feel envious or wanting. But funny actor Jim Carrey said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”

No, it is not. Jesus said it best, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?"

We only get one life to live. Help us to live it well, Lord. May we live by Kingdom values and not pursue the insignificant, perishable, inconsequential things of this world! May we invest only in that which has eternal value, our relationship with You and our neighbors.