You fill me with joy in your presence. David, Psalm 16:11

To miss joy is to miss all. Robert Louis Stevenson, 1887

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus, John 10:10

What is a life to the full, or an abundant life, as some Bible translations say? Is it an intellectual idea or a way of existing? Is it for believers now or only after this life? I have an idea it can be all of that. There is something innate that makes us long for abundant life in God, now and to come. We do not just want to know about God. We are wired to seek a relationship with God.

Humans are wired for relationship from birth. Babies come out ready to attach—longing to be enfolded in the love and warmth of a parent. We never lose that longing, first for our parents, then others, and ultimately God.

We long to lose ourselves in the divinity of another. Unfortunately, most of the time we project God’s divinity onto another, which can be euphoric for awhile and often ends in heartbreak. But if we can imagine the most extreme joy and attraction we have had for another human, then put that longing to God—that’s only the beginning.

Many of us cannot imagine a God that is amazing. We often see God as a distant, clueless, grumpy, shifty, disengaged, old man. When life is tough we can see God as out of touch, harsh and elusive.

What if we watch for God to show up in the not so traditional and expected ways? God could be in a burning bush as Moses experienced, or a still, small voice like Elijah heard. God could inhabit a sunset, a ladybug, a baby or an old man. How about God being in a thought, a feeling, or an idea? If we can see God in all things and through all things as Colossians 1:17 suggests, we can experience abundant life in God daily.