In the past three days.
A lot in my life is different.
And I hope it stays that way.
I've come to some realizations after some very painful moments and happenings.
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Thoughts:
Our lives are but vapors. This is only a tent of our home. We have no guarantee that tomorrow will come, yet so many of us expect it to. In fact, we do more than expect... we take for granted that it will. This week has taught me a valuable lesson: Life is not to be taken for granted as it is not promised to be here tomorrow. This brings me to my second realization, but before you get there you will find some scripture from biblegateway.org.
Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
James 4: 13-16 NKJV
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will[g] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
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Realization #2: Opportunities should be taken.
Thoughts:
You see, I just told you that life is not promised and this thought inevitably leads me to the realization that opportunities will not always be there. Think of it this way, if you are not promised tomorrow then how can you skip out on witnessing to that individual you've felt led to witness to. What if tomorrow you aren't here to give it a go? What if they are not here for you to talk to? Don't take for granted that that opportunity will be there tomorrow. In another light, there is someone you've been meaning to say hi to, but have yet had "opportunity". Remind yourself to be honest with yourself. Has there really just not been opportunity or has there just not been "opportunity". I would go as far as to guess it is the latter. If you choose to make yourself available then you will become available to speak with that person. What if your mother is not saved or you are unsure as to whether she is or not... Will you not wish that you had had the talk with her about God and salvation? If the hope we have in Christ is so great, which we know it is... Shouldn't we be sharing it?
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Realization #3: To be set apart actually means something.
Thoughts:
So many see the Bible as a set of rules and regulations as to how to live the Christian life. Many others see it as a guidebook with rules and regulations but also a relationship and heart. If you follow it in the rules and regulations part you probably follow by obligation rather than heart. You may even have the "I can't do this, I can't do that" mentality. This is really not what it is all about. It's about following the footsteps of Jesus. It's about living a life that is noticeably different from the norm. It's about having joy no matter the situation. Does this mean you have to be smiling all of the time, no. What it does mean is that in all that you do and all that happens you should be able to look to God and know that He loves you unconditionally. It does mean that you should know that He has a plan and be okay with the fact that you don't know every item on it yet trust that He knows best and is holding you. It means that you can look to Him when it gets rough and be comforted knowing He is there. To be set apart means that just because you are not breaking this one certain rule that you should still go to places that lead you into temptation or that cause anyone else to stumble. You must always keep others in mind. If you go they might go there. If you use language that is inappropriate and your 12 year old friend hears they may think it is okay and fall into that pit before anyone can catch them. So, it is something to take seriously and not just blow off.
Romans 12:2 NKJV (Biblegateway.org)
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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Realization #4: Trust in His Leading and His Guidance
Thoughts:
Really if you do this... everything else I've said falls right into place. So just do it. He is there. He loves you. He's got you. Let go & let God. It really is that simple and funny enough life gets a lot better! So choose to have a good day....Choose to follow Him momently.
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That's all I've got for now... It's almost 3 a.m. Mary Clare taught me how to read some parts of music tonight. I'm so happy about this! Anyway, I should go to sleep now. Maybe there will be more later.
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