Forty Days Full - An Invitation To Real Life

those forty years to the good life God had promised, but they refused to enter in. We must enter in, but to do so requires a daily decision – a strong, quality decision – not a weak, half- hearted “we’ll see what happens” decision. The right perspective makes a great difference if you want to enhance life's experiences. When I was in college a friend of mine named Michael asked me if I liked steak. I said no! My history with steak had been mediocre at best. Whenever my father cooked steak he bought a poor cut of meat like round steak because it was cheap. Then he would cook it in a skillet well past the time there were any juices left. If there was any pink in the middle it was considered raw. When served up it resembled shoe leather. This was my only experience eating steak. My friend, who was a few years older and wiser invited me over for real steak. When I first cut into that medium-rare T-bone, I knew something was very different. The smell after being grilled, the juice on the plate and the tenderness as my knife easily cut through it, let me know I was in for a new experience. After one bite, a food that had been my least favorite, instantly became my most favorite. It's all in knowing how to do things the right way. So many people in their pursuit of happiness go about it all the wrong way. A life that is self-serving and self-absorbed may have some temporary satisfaction, but in the end, it will taste like shoe leather in your mouth. True joy and lasting happiness come from a life of giving, not taking. Takers will use up people in the same way a shoe gets worn out and must be replaced. If we continue living this way our hearts become hardened through the loss we experience. A repetitive attitude of 'me first' becomes repulsive, while an attitude of 'you first' is magnetic. A life that seeks the good of others first is not the