Life, to the full

This verse, these words of Jesus, keeps coming up again, in different discussions:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10.
 

Things that steal, kill, destroy.  Things that are not good.  Those things are not from God.  God gives us good gifts.  God gave us Jesus, the ultimate gift.   He gave so that we could have life to the full.

I am reminded, once again, of these words from Katie Davis in the book Kisses From Katie, "I hadn't realized what a transformation had taken place while I had been in Uganda, the spiritual richness I had experienced in material poverty and the spiritual poverty I felt now in a land of material wealth.” She actually felt spiritually impoverished when she had enough food to eat, because she wasn't relying on God to supply her needs any longer; she was relying on her own strength.

A recent question came up - "What motto do you live by?"

I didn't really have a ready-made answer. I started typing, letting my fingers transcribe the ramblings of my mind.:

"Q: What a motto?
"A: Nothing, what's the matter with you?

"Sorry, I have kids.

"No motto. Just Truth.

"Lately though it's been: "God *will* give you more than you can handle, so that when you find yourself struggling, you go to Him instead of living life in your own power."

"I'm realizing more and more these days that "life to the full" is less about physical pleasures and more about spiritual dependence."

I don't know where it will take me, or what it will look like, but I know I want "life to the full." I've spent so much time wanting a life that is full of physical pleasure that I have never stopped to consider that those pleasures I pursue can actually be detrimental my life "to the full."

If I were you, this is what I'd be thinking right now...

"Right, so now Wanda's going to sell everything and check into a convent?"
"No, I saw her shopping and eating out last night.  Hypocrite!"
"Well, she'll probably just want to talk about God all the time now."
"Maybe.  I don't know.  She was laughing about an episode of The Big Bang Theory just a couple days ago."
"Hmm...  I'll guess we'll have to wait and see how far off the deep end she goes now."

I don't want to live in a convent and spend the rest of my life depriving myself for the sake of deprivation.  There is no "life to the full" value in that. 

I want to care less about the temporal. 
I want to have a proper perspective. 
I want to realize the difference between need and want. 

I need to care less about the temporal. 
I need to have a proper perspective. 

I need to have "life to the full" as my goal in decision-making.