“Get busy livin, or get busy dying.” These were the words Andy Dufrane spoke to his friend, Red, in the classic novel turned film, Shawshank Redemption. Though this story is fiction, its plot line offers a powerful lesson for the living—enjoy the life you have, even if the life you have is not the life you think you want.

Yet, if we are honest for just a moment, We don’t believe the life we have is enough of a life to be enjoyed. Not always. Not often enough. Often we zero in on what's not enjoyable about our lives. We spend a great deal of time focused on what we wish we could change, or what we wish was different.

But this is wasted time and energy. And the more time we spend not enjoying our lives, the less enjoyable they become. The more time we treat each day as though we are guaranteed another, the faster they seem to fly by; and the more empty, repetitive and routine they feel.

So, the Teacher tells us, much like Andy Dufrane told his friend Red, get busy living, because life is unpredictable. Death is certain. And enjoyment is a gift from God. Life is better than death, but nothing is better than enjoying your life. So get to it, ‘cause it's the only one you've got, and what a shame it would be for it to be wasted.

Vanity | Live! | Ecclesiastes 9:1-12