Celebrate
Today!
a time to be born
and a time to die…
a time to weep and a time
to laugh
Ecclesiastes 3:2,
4
It was approaching midnight and the
crowd in the waiting room had dwindled to a handful of people. The
long hours awaiting my granddaughter’s birth were filled with an
extended dialogue between my wife, Nancy, my son, Eric, and me.
Eric and Lindsay’s childhood
dominated the conversation. We laughed as we recalled events, each
account bringing fond memories. As happy and laughter-filled as these
memories were they were overshadowed by one particular event that
evoked only sadness, and a sense of premature grief. Eric and Lindsay
had lost a childhood friend in a tragic accident on New Year’s Eve
a few years ago.
But on this night restoration of
celebration was taking place.
“You know what tomorrow is, right?”
Eric said.
“Yep. Linds and I were talking about
that last week,” Nancy responded.
Eric looked at the clock on his iPhone,
“It’d be fitting if Lindsay waits twenty minutes to have Jozlyn.”
Knowing the significance of tomorrow, I
joined the conversation, “Frankie would have been what,
thirty-five?”
“Thirty-six,” Eric said, still
saddened by the loss of his close friend.
“It’ll be bittersweet, but it’ll
be a great reason to celebrate November fourteenth again,” Nancy
said, bringing the thought full circle.
†
One life ends, another begins. Such is
the uncertainty of our days upon this earth. Psalm 139:16 tells us
the day of our death is a known point in time. Yet, we tend to treat
this fact with impunity. We’d rather not consider such truth...and
because of our denial we take today for granted.
Today’s text reminds us that life is
cyclical. We are born knowing we will one day die. This knowledge
should motivate us to appreciate the present with the passion God
intended. His desire is that we greet each new day with a desire to
know Him better while finding joy in what we do.
November fourteenth hadn’t been
‘celebrated’ in a long time. However, with Jozlyn’s birth, our
children once again had reason to laugh and rejoice as the memory of
a close friend took on new meaning.
Prayer
“Lord of life, thank You
for the miracle of life and the gift of today. Help me celebrate this
day with purpose. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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