God, Bach and Being Fully Alive

Johann Sebastian Bach signed his sheets of handwritten music with the initials “SDG”, meaning “for Soli Deo Gloria, to the Glory of God alone”. Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner notes, “J S Bach appended these initials at the end of each of his Cantatas scores … They signified his deep devotion and his desire to serve God through his music.”

Part of beating burnout and dealing with everyday stresses is knowing that my daily work and how I approach it, fits into a much larger context than my immediate surroundings.

Second century Irenaeus reminds us, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” I assume in a big way that means really alive… living life to the full… running on full with and through all the ‘stuff’ each day throws at us. You’ve heard it before, “It’s better to really live for a few years than merely exist for many.”

We can adopt the SDG mentality. Really live, above and beyond what today you or I might even think possible. Avoid burnout and continue to passionately advance causes, projects and programs that make a significant difference.

Go out and ‘really live’. Make the decision to play a bigger … your best, game.  SDG