We have 35 days until my due date. It's getting more exciting everyday. We think we have the basics we need for the baby minus a few minor things we'll pick up soon. We also know, being first time parents, we have no idea what we'll really need until we bring Baby Um home.
35 days makes me think how much a life can change in such a short time. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I was watching a show on TLC about first time parents bringing their baby home. The mother was able to introduce her baby to her grandmother just before she left this world. They showed a photo and said, "It's so neat to see the beginning of life and the end of life in this photo". I thought to myself, we have no idea what the end of life looks like. Then last night I was thinking that only God sees what the beginning of life looks like as we are being formed in our mother's wombs. We may see someone who appears to be in the end of life but only God knows our end and tomorrow isn't promised to us.
The end of life can look like a young woman 9 days after her 20th birthday driving home. She hits a patch of black ice and within 24 hours she's in heaven (Cristina Hadley). It could look like a man overseas just weeks before his promotion to Colonel and his retirement serving his country. He gets hit by a vehicle and within 24 hours he's in heaven (David Frankenhauser). It could look like a young man getting up on a beautiful, calm fall day to do what he has done everyday for years. He gets in his lobster boat to start hauling traps, waves to his friends at noon and within hours he is gone. Never to be seen alive on this earth again (Chris).
Or in the case of some very faithful customers and friends of ours, it could be a husband and wife just getting into the groove of life together after raising 3 children and helping them in early adulthood. He has pain in his legs and within weeks they find out he has 4th stage pancreatic cancer and is given less than 3 months to live. Dave just found this out last night and my heart and prayers go out to this couple. They have been such great supporters of ours and we just hope that God gives us wisdom in sharing His love with them in this very difficult time.
This all brings me to a work I ask God to do in me - don't live in fear (that' not of God) - but treat your relationship with God like you could meet Him face to face today. Appreciate the people around you and those people we'd rather not be around - pray that God would fill us with love for them and they would see Him through us. To live life with God's purpose and not my own agenda (something I struggle with). That is my prayer.
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