Carpe Diem

I've done a lot of thinking since I've gotten back from Ghana in June. Lots of thinking about taking advantage of every single opportunity and using every second to make in impact on someone. Today has been a difficult day for me. I found out this morning that a couple that I'm very good friends with (I've known the wife since I was 6 yrs old) lost their 4 month old son this morning. These are two people that are awesome parents, amazing Christian friends. I still see them at least every Sunday. Their loss just reminds me of how short life is. Granted, the life of their beautiful boy was so much shorter than anyone would ever have imagined it would be. But all of our lives are short. We are not promised another day, another hour another minute another heartbeat. It is scary to me to think about all the time I waste doing trivial things when there are people that I love and care about that don't know the love of our Creator. Before I was born, my mom lost a baby. Katherine was stillborn. Technically she was dead when she was born, but my mom had a full term pregnancy and normal delivery. I keep thinking, 'I wonder if this is how mom's friends felt when Katherine died.'....Totally helpless, sad, confused. Trying to figure out how to even greet my friends the next time I see them. I thought about writing them a letter, but I have no idea what to say...there are not words to express how I feel and even if there were, it can't even come close to consoling them. We all know that life is short, make the most of it. I don't mean that in the "eat, drink & be merry" kind of way. I mean, since you know that this life is a "vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" then do things with your time, money, talent etc that are NOT so short-lived. Use this life to make a difference in someone else's life. Tell your family and friends that you love them, SHOW them. There is only one way to give your life meaning.....give it up to the Lord. The things that the Lord will accomplish though someone that is totally devoted to Him, will long outlast these beat up, broken down things we call bodies. These bodies are tents, they are not our permanent residence. Remember that. I do not know how in the world this tragedy works into God's plan for my friends....but I know, somehow, it does. I know that this tragedy has really convicted me to really truly live for today. To use the opportunities I get and to try my hardest to make an impact on someone for the Lord. Please keep my friends in your prayers. Keep all of us in your prayers. We all need prayer, every single day not just when there's a tragedy. We need to pray for each other sincerely. I pray that you all seize the day, every day.

Carpe Diem