#5 Cherish Your Life?

Sometimes I actually wind up wondering what this phrase really means. “Cherish your life,” what even is that? And every time I watch the Saw movies, I feel like my mind ties itself up in even more knots. Sometimes, it feels like it’s just Jigsaw’s line for everything he doesn’t like. 

“Oh, you’re a drug dealer? You don’t cherish your life!”

“Ope, you’re stealing my ideas? You don’t cherish your life!”

“You can’t complete my unreasonably brutal task in a stupidly limited amount of time? Guess you don’t cherish your life.” 

Maybe the cancer really did get to his brain. But is there some way to boil all this down to find something worth remembering? I actually think so. Let’s give it a shot. 

I think the best way to understand cherishing your life is treating yourself like a plant. You have certain things that you need: food, water, connection and something to work towards in your life. Obviously that isn’t the entirety of the list, but you get the idea. Cherishing your life is treating yourself like a plant, growing yourself into the strong tree you were born to become.

And I’d like to note a few things about this. First of all, it doesn’t mean you pamper yourself like a royal prince or princess all of the time. Have you ever over-watered a plant? If you have, you would know that it doesn’t go too well for it. Sometimes you need to be limited on certain things that might seem good at the time. Too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing. 

Similarly, watering this plant is about your needs, not always your wants. Does your body need another bag of candy? Probably not. Does it want to go for a run? Also, probably not. But certain things need to be kept in balance in order to help a person grow properly. And eventually you will feel a lot better through the process. 

And I couldn’t use this plant analogy without mentioning my favorite chapter in the bible: psalm 1. Take a look at verses 1-3:

“Blessed is the one

    who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

    or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and who meditates on his law day and night. 

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

    which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

    whatever they do prospers.”

Basically, God knows the plant that is us, and He has the manual on how to properly care for us. He knows the best ways to make us the biggest, strongest, most beautiful tree we can be. And He doesn’t just hand us a list of do’s and don’ts, and leave us on our way to figure it out. He guides us and helps us through every step of the process.

So how do we really tap into this idea? I mean, the first thing is to read the bible every day, and learn about what it says. Praying helps with that too. The bible is God’s word, and you should read it like a long-winded text from Him. If you open up to the idea of letting it speak to you, the amount of things you will find is endless. Just like God. 

Similarly, make friends with some people that know the Bible better than you. Find a pastor or church on Youtube. Or, if you’re feeling brave, visit an actual church nearby. Get plugged in and let this new chapter of your journey begin! But know this: you’ll have to be willing to give up what you think is best. It may mean giving up on something fun. But God doesn’t just like making your life miserable, and He’s also really patient. You can wrestle with Him for a while if you are struggling with something. He can work with you, as long as you don’t leave a wedge between you and Him. What He can’t stand is you turning your back and walking away from Him. 

So cherish your life! Plant yourself beside His great waters, and watch yourself grow more than you could have ever imagined! I pray that God leads you to those waters, and that you grow into the majestic oak that you were made to be! 

Until next time

May Peace be your Guide.