Connections

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister, Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

For almost two hours yesterday (Sunday, November 16), I listened to people talk about Charles Pointon. It was at his memorial service in Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church. Charles had been born in 1910, the year Scott sailed to the Antarctic, of the first commercial freight flight (courtesy of the Wright brothers) and when Australia developed its own currency. I learned not about history, though, but about life and living.

In that two hours there was only one brief mention of what Charles did for a living, and even here, the details were sketchy. It seems he was an office manager of some kind, dealing with clerical duties. It didn't matter, not really.

What was important was how he lived. In his case, he lived life simply, generously and with a passion for others, particularly those in need. He had an impact because of the way he lived.

Now there's the challenge: to live well!

Yes, that does include living simply, generously and passionately, living for something bigger than ourself, for something that makes a difference for others.

Charles was born the same year as Mother Teresa, the coronation of King George V and Theodore Roosevelt becoming the first American president to fly in an aeroplane. He outlived them all. He almost notched up a century in years. This makes for interesting trivia. There's more to life than trivia.

There's more to life than awards, certificates or degrees you can hang on your wall, the dollars you collect and lose, and the qualifications you gain. And there's more to life than what you do for a living--no matter how significant that may be.

Perhaps we should stop asking, "What do you do for a living?" and begin asking, "How do you live?"

Life is about how you live.

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