Living Life as an Exclamation Point

Day 283 of Photo Inspirations -- Living Life as an Exclamation Point!
#TBT -- I ran across this photo that was taken on a family vacation in 2003.  These are our four oldest grandchildren, who are now, 23, 20, 15 and 14.  Wow!  Where did those 12 years go?   Graduations from kindergarten, grade school, middle school, high school, boot camp, black belts in karate, piano recitals, baseball championships, speech & debate champtionships, that were accompanied by braces, bumps & bruises, lots of rehearsals and practices, lots of lessons learned, lots of moves from city to city and state to state, plus two more precious grandsons came along, and the biggest of all -- Papa's graduation to heaven.

James 4:14 "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."  James sure did give us a "spoiler alert"!  He said our lives would be like a vapor that appears and then, just as quickly, vanishes!   That's a reality check -- especially for those of us who, in our 20s -- looked at the old folks (in their 50s) and thought, "They are so old!"  Now, we are past our 50s and "old folks" doesn't seem so old anymore!  LOL!

The fact is -- the length of our lives isn't based at all on quantity, but it's based on quality. This gift of life, however brief, should be spent living in such a way that the very One who created us will always look upon His investment as a "creation....well done"!  Rather than looking at how fast time goes by, wouldn't it be more productive to think....."How can I make the most of the time that I have?"  What if we put an exclamation point on every day we have?  An Exclamation Point is reserved for the accomplishments that excite our spirits and set our hearts on fire.  Living a humdrum life doesn't get an exclamation point.  Spending precious time complaining, whining, worrying, being cranky and cynical doesn't get an exclamation point.

Getting an exclamation point has everything to do with how we wake up each day.  Getting an exclamation point has something to do with "hitting-the-ground-running" each day.  There's just no time to be thinking about the good old days.  I love my memories.  I love these photos of my precious grandkids and husband from way back when.  But if I want an exclamation point at the end of each and every day, I need to to wake up saying "What can I do TODAY to leave a mark and a legacy?"  Here's what Exclamation Point recipients look like:

They have a life to live so they live it… EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have an assignment to complete…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have work to be done….. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a victory to achieve…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a devil to defeat…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a storm to calm…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a prayer to pray…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a promise to claim… EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a habit to conquer…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a temptation to overcome…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have an enemy to love…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a burden to lift…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a friend to help…. EXCLAMATION POINT!
They have a race to be won, EXCLAMATION POINT!

On a gravestone, it shows a date born, then a hyphen, then the date of death.  The hyphen represents all that person accomplished in their lifetime.  Quite frankly.....I'd like for mine to have on it.......
"DONNA LIVED.... EXCLAMATION POINT!!"