Don't Take Today...Or Tomorrow...For Granted

A dear friend of mine died today. Suddenly. Unexpectedly. It happened so quickly that virtually everyone who loved her didn't have the chance to say good-bye, or tell her how much she was loved. So many things were left unsaid. I can tell from the number of heartfelt posts I've seen on social media, and the comments that have been made privately to me via text and email. This lady was loved, revered and admired.

I've known she's been battling several different issues for awhile, but I thought she had recently turned the corner and was on her way to a complete recovery. All the reports seemed positive. Life was going to get back to a semblance of normalcy. We were going to have our friend back. And we would all welcome her with open arms. Everything was going to be just fine.

But we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, or the rest of today, or our next breath for that matter. I believe that God is Maker and Creator of the world, and that He alone knows when we will take our last breath. Isaiah 42:5 tells us, "He formed the earth and everything it produced. He breathes life into all the people on earth. He gives a spirit to everyone who walks on the earth." Job 12:10 says, "Every animal that lives and everyone who breathes - they are all under God's power." God breathed life into Adam, and He is in control of when we will take our final breath.

We make our plans, outline our future, and rely on finishing to the end as we've designed it. There's an old Jewish proverb that speaks to that. "Mann traoch, Gott Lauch." Translated, it means "Man plans, God laughs." Now that doesn't mean that God doesn't want us to plan, or that He is mocking us. It's simply pointing to the fact that just as He hung the moon and stars, and hand-crafted this earth we call home, He's the One in control. And He alone is the giver of life.

Don't take tomorrow for granted. It may never get here. Send those flowers TODAY. Make that phone call TODAY. Hug that person that you've been estranged from TODAY. And don't wait til this evening. My friend died this morning. She didn't get to see another sunset. And we don't get to enjoy another one with her.

I was reminded today, when I heard this sad news, that life is brief. It doesn't last long. And I believe that the God decisions we make while we're alive will impact us forever. I believe that the single most important decision that we will ever make in this life is whether or not we will have a relationship with Jesus. It's ever so simple to begin. And yet we're just one breath away from never having the chance to start.

We miss you, Ria. You left some incredible footprints in the sand of our lives. We miss your graciousness, your laugh, and your wisdom. The room was brighter when you were in it. You're in our thoughts, and your dear husband is in our prayers. We promise to love on him. Today. Right now.

Godspeed.