I heard one time that life is like a coin. We can spend it any way we want, but we can spend it only once.
If life is like a coin, it must, like a coin, have two sides. How could it have two sides? Well, the answer is that life has many sides. It has a good side and a bad side. It has an easy side and a hard side. It has a happy side and a sad side. Of course, the list is practically endless. The point is that it’s our privilege, our opportunity, and our responsibility to use wisely each day the gift that we have been given.
The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” gives us a happy feeling while at the same time helping us to realize that life is not automatically wonderful. What we do with our life, with the gift of each day, is what makes it wonderful.
The Good Book tells us that we are to rejoice and be glad for the day that the Lord has made for us to enjoy and to use.
A gifted friend said that if we can get out of bed in the morning, it is a wonderful day. He was fully aware of that feeling because he had almost died a number of times, including being struck in midlife by a mysterious disease that left him paralyzed with the diagnosis that he would never walk again. However, because of his strong faith and all-conquering belief that he could overcome, he did, with the support of arm crutches, walk again. He never regretted his slow movement from one spot to another, but celebrated the fact that he could move about under his own power.
Norman Vincent Peale said that when we wake up in the morning, we can decide to be happy or we can decide to be unhappy. His question to us was, “Why would we choose to be unhappy?” Good question.
Let’s focus on a few examples of the opposing sides of the coin of life.
First, we must spend. We may spend it wisely doing good things for ourselves and for others, or we may waste it. That is our choice. Hopefully, at the end of each day, we can go to sleep thankful for all that we were able to accomplish that day. We can close our eyes satisfied that we did the best that we could, that we made a difference.
Second, we need always to be aware that the coin of life has two sides. Good and bad exist in us, in others, and in our world in general. We need to fight against the bad in us, in others, and in the world. We should always seek out and choose the good for our own sake and for the sake of the world in which we live. We need to do our part to make the world a better place. We cannot change the world, but we do have the power to change ourselves.
Third, everyone sometimes has the good fortune to have an easy day. We need to be grateful. Sometimes we are faced with difficulties. We need to work them out and be grateful.
Fourth, happiness is a blessing, sadness is a trial. In either instance, we should be thankful. We like to bask in happy moments, but we need to learn to endure and overcome the sad times in our life. Both are a part of life.
Fifth, we should always be thankful that we are free. That is a blessing that enables us to develop our talents to the maximum of our ability. However, we should never forget that without responsibility, the other side of the coin, there is no freedom. Unless we recognize that our liberty stops at the edge of the other fellow’s liberty, there will be no true liberty for either of us. Be free, and use your freedom for your good and for the good of others, but never infringe on the rights of others. They, too, must have their own freedom.
Sixth, sometimes we will win, and sometimes we will lose. Both winning and losing are a part of life, even a part of the good life. Celebrate winning, but never brag about it. Maybe next time you will be the loser, which is all right. Losing can help you to learn and to become stronger.
Seventh, we need to be grateful for all our blessings. In this day and age, having a good home, plenty of food to eat, comfortable clothes to wear, family and friends to love and encourage us, and something worthwhile to do each day are blessings. We should not take those and many more for granted.
Eighth, the two sides of the coin of life are birth and death. We do well to remember that our life is short and not to be passed through without purpose and effort. Life can be wonderful, but making it wonderful is up to us.
Ninth, the opposite of the coin of receiving is giving. We like to receive attentive looks from family, friends, neighbors, even strangers. We should make a practice of doing the same for all the others that we meet each day. Everyone is important and deserving of our respect.
Tenth, some people have many friends; others have very few. The old saying is that in order to have a friend, we must be a friend. Be a friend, and you will have friends. We cannot afford to wait for someone to like us. Like them first. They will get the message. They will be pleased, and so will you.
Eleventh, some friends may be good for us while others may be bad for us. We need to choose our friends carefully.
Abraham Lincoln advised that the best way to deal with an enemy is to make him a friend. Good advice.
When I was in college, the students at my college had to attend a set number of convocations each week. Many students resented having to do that, but I received a great deal of inspiration from them.
One speaker told us that only three things were necessary in order to live a good life. The first was a “self to live with.” We must learn to live with ourselves. The second was a “purpose to live for.” We will be happier, and we will make a greater positive impact with our life if we have a plan and a purpose for each day of our life. The third was a “faith to live by.” Without faith we have little strength to sail on bravely through the storms of life. We need faith.
Another speaker said that only four things are necessary for a good life: love, laughter, music, and religion. Then, he added another connected thought, “And they are all free.” We do well if we make these four things the objects of our desire throughout our life.
Be thankful for the gift of each and every day in this wonderful life.
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