Spoiler Alert - Seven Pounds

I was going to write poetry, but i suppose prose is best because I just have so much sitting on my heart.

So I just finished watching Seven Pounds, and it provoked me to wonder... would I have it in me to give my life for others? I mean, this man didn't even die nicely. He lied in an ice cold bathtub and allowed himself to be stung by jellyfish. Besides being altogether random, he endured physical pain as he lay fading away from life on Earth.

Now while I never condone suicide, for I do think Tim Thomas should have sought serious counseling following the fateful car accident caused mainly by his disregard to the oncoming traffic (due to texting while driving), what he did really touched me because it was one man who changed seven lives by giving his.

So I wonder, how many lives can I affect by giving of myself?  I always hear people talk about leaving a legacy, or knowing that their lives were a success by the amount of people who show up for the Homegoing Service, but sometimes I think about the people's lives I affect without they even knowing it.

Like how about let's look at the bible:
Exodus 20:5-6:
"...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."


So pretty much that says if I sin, and hate God, I won't be punished, but my children FOUR generations down will get the brunt of my disobedience.  But it also says that God will show MERCY to thousands of generations, and all I have to do is obey.

Yeah so you may say: "But Ari! That's that Christian 'mumbo-jumbo'".
So let's talk about "real life" (although as a Christian woman, my life is integrated with the teachings in God's word... but that's not you.. or is it?).

We are not living for ourselves! Life does not begin and end with the fact that I'm breathing today instead of in 1987 (I wasn't born yet, for those of you who didn't catch that).  I am living at this very moment because I am supposed to be here!  YOU are supposed to be here. Perhaps not to simply commit suicide like our fictitious character Tim, but we are all here to help impact the life of someone else who is simultaneously impacting someone else.

We are a tangled web, in a world of social networking this connection is made even more evident.  I'm sure you had that moment where you saw a friend mention someone YOU KNOW on Twitter, and you're like "dang.. I didn't know (Paul) knew (Ashley).. small world!" Yeah it happens to me all the time.  So in this tangled web we are challenged to make decisions that will not only impact us, but everywhere our string connects. and since our connections are linked to other connections.... we have the ability to not only affect SEVEN, but the world.

So before you make your next big decision, or even little decision, remember that you are not living for yourself.  Whether Christian or not, friendless or popular, in love or single, you are linked to more people than you know.  But don't let it be a burden, allow it to be an opportunity to be great.

I'm just trying to be awesome too.
-Ari