Saturday, January 03, 2009

comment from friend

My foreign friend (she's American) often makes this comment to people when they ask her about her week-end, “I have no life.” I wouldn’t pay much attention to this fleeting comment as I have also said it before. However, my friend says it a lot, and she often says it after I know that she has spent the week-end with friends, eating together, watching movies, or going shopping. And, on one particular occasion, she said it to someone about her previous week-end after she had hung out with me for a portion of the week-end. We had watched an enchanting movie and then gone out to supper afterward with some Chinese friends. In my opinion, it had been a rather enjoyable week-end for me, so I was surprised to hear my friend make this comment so flippantly. What did she mean that she had no life? Was my company or our activities not worthy of being considered “life” like? So this brings me back to my original question, what does she consider to be “a life.” Dear readers, what do you consider to be a "life?"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I consider life to be made up of small happenings. For me, joy comes in the form of a shared meal with friends, a good book or watching a movie with friends. We all "have a life." It's what we make of it that counts :)
Ruth

Erika said...

Hi Portia,

I feel like a fan meeting a "star." I've been reading your blog for about a year. I was given your information from the organization you service, which I will also be serving with this summer. Thank you for sharing so much of your life through your blog.

I am responding tonight because I just had this conversation with a friend tonight! This question is best answered by your friend, because I think it is different for everyone. I guess one of my clarifying question is if this person knows the Father? If so, true life is found in knowing Him. The rest is just a number of activities meant to replace the true satisfaction which comes with knowing Him, being known by Him, loving/serving others through Him. I do realize that people who do know the Father have times of feeling like they "have no life.," but I tend to think that's b/c their focus is on the wrong thing. Namely, those things which they think their lives should be about, but aren't.

This my attempt at answering your questions, but I know there is much more to be address and considered.

Thanks again for sharing! Perhaps we'll meet at conference.

Erika