A taste of life to the full
By Nathalie Koenig
John 10:10 says “…I have come that they may have life, and life to the full”. This is a verse we love at Common Good, and a verse that drives us to call the church not just to a clothing drive, or packing food parcels… but to the kind of engagement and compassionate lifestyle that will bring life to the full for all of God’s people.
A friend of mine found a great photo to illustrate ‘life to the full’ for a presentation once. It was a picture of a toddler, sitting cross-legged on the ground, with the HUGEST slice of watermelon EVER on his lap. With his face in that watermelon – eating it absolutely delightfully. Isn’t that a wonderful image of life to the full? Eating a slice of watermelon that’s way too big for you to finish on your own!
The image may have just been a bit of fun but it did get me thinking about this verse and how it applies to us. Yes – by living a lifestyle of compassion, we can be a part of Christ’s mission to bring life to the full to others. But by doing this with the right heart, and attitude, and mindset, and intentions, we allow Christ to bring US life to the full.
We allow Christ to remove our fears, and empower us to love unconditionally. We allow Christ to invite us into new relationships and experiences that will make our lives fuller and more beautiful. We allow Christ to travel with us in our own cities and suburbs, and show us things and people that we never noticed before. We are empowered to live an exciting and adventurous life without having to travel to distant lands, or seek more material satisfaction or fleeting novelty. We’re awakened to a world outside of the usual narrow corridors of our daily lives. We’re given access to the kind of life that looks like a baby with his face in a watermelon.
And in the process, we help Christ bring life to the full in places where our hearts have previously broken. And our hearts are transformed and filled with an unshakeable hope that says “Christ in me, the hope of glory”.
And we feel like we’re eating watermelon. All the time.
(Photograph courtesy of Dreamstime.com)
- Nathalie is a programme coordinator for Common Good
