You may have heard the quote by Eric Liddel that was made famous by the movie Chariots of Fire. He said "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." There are things in each of our lives that we were designed for. Things that make us feel like everything is right in the world and we are lifted above the concerns of our daily lives. For me, one of those things is soccer. I love soccer. I'll play soccer indoor, outdoor, by myself, it doesn't matter. For those of you who play soccer, you know what I'm talking about. When you hit that perfect shot and the ball is knuckling toward the goal so that you can read the logo on it and the goal keeper has no idea where it's going. Or you make that one move that leaves a defender tripping over themselves.
Another one for me is music. Playing the piano is one of the ways I relax and get away from it all. When I was studying engineering at Virginia Tech I would often go to the chapel on campus late at night and play the grand piano there. The whole chapel was made of concrete and marble so the music would just echo as I played. I'm convinced these retreats to my little sanctuary on campus are what eventually helped me make it through engineering school with some level of sanity. I remember when I was a kid I'd play my parent's upright piano in the dark. Like Eric Liddel said, I could feel God's pleasure. It's something I was designed to do. Whether I'm playing by myself or on a stage in front of a lot of people, I just love to play. I feel like God has gifted me with music and it's such a blessing to be able to enjoy that and to share it with other people.
So what is it for you? What are those things in your life that make it worth living. What is it that when you are doing it, all the cares of the day and worries about the future and everything else just drift away. Whatever it is, make time for it, enjoy it, share it with others.
