Life is Fragile
Today, I went to the “Y” here in Canton with Stephanie, after we dropped off Mckenzie at preschool. Later we went to lunch in downtown Canton. I was tired today after my day yesterday “baby sitting” so I took a couple of naps.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence!
No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave.” Psalm 89:47,48 NLT
My friend Paul Irwin, from Washington D.C. shared a short synopsis about life that I used at a recent memorial service. Life is a gift. Life is precious. Life is fragile. No matter how many years are lived on this earth, they pale in comparison to eternity.
Life is a gift, we must value it. Life is precious, we must make the most of it. The psalmist said, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.“ (Psalm 90:12 NIV) We must not just spend our days, we must invest our days on this earth. Just like our money will out last us (hopefully); the legacy of our life will continue after we are gone.
Life is fragile, prepare for eternity. The time to do that is now. It is reflected in our vales and our faith. This past Monday, as I was in Atlanta, the family and friends and entire church staff at Timberline Church mourned the sudden death of two long-time members and support staff members, Josh and Sherri Zander. They were both killed in tragic motorcycle accident on their way home from Estes Park.
Josh had posted these words on a FaceBook post just hours before the accident, “In a blink of an eye everything can change, so forgive often and love with all your heart, you may never have the chance again.” How powerful these words, when we consider the “thin veil” between this life and the next.
Last week after doing a radio interview about West Nile Virus, I met a lady going into a meeting we were both attending. She told me she heard my interview and it made her think of her brother who had contracted West Nile Virus. He was a health, strong, farmer living in Pueblo, Colorado. She shared, “he had a suppressed immune system.” I thought, “so did I.” She went on, “he contracted meningitis and encephalitis.” I thought, “so did I.” So, I asked “what happened?” She said, “He died.”
Having survived by my health crisis, there are times that I read about my own experience or hear of some one else and it drives home to me how I really did “escape” death. It makes me glad for the Lord’s mercy and the opportunity for a few more years in this life.
The reality is one day all of us will pass from this life. Even those that Jesus raised from the dead, one day died. That doesn’t have to be a morbid, foreboding reality. It just calls us to live with purpose, trust and focus, not taking anything for granted; to forgive often and to love fully. It calls us to prepare for that day, in every way, to face the day we must all encounter.
Prayer for today…. Lord, while no one an escape the power of the grace, You have defeated death and turned it into victory for those who place their trust in You. Help us to live each day with the understanding that “life is gift, life is precious and life is fragile.”