Life's Too Short.....

to take for granted.

James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas 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. Instead youought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."

I was reminded this morning just how fragile our lives are and the fact that we are in no way in control of our days. A family from Texas lost their 19 year-old son and brother this morning after being in a water accident yesterday. Though I didn't actually know Jimmy, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about him and I hear repeatedly that he impacted a lot of lives for Christ and lived every day with an amazing passion and zeal for serving his Creator and Lord. I morn with my friend and Jimmy's sister, Rachel Brazell, and their family and friends in this difficult time. Please keep them in your prayers. 

Every moment of our lives is held in our Makers hands and He is the only one who knows when we will take our last breath. It is only arrogance, as James says, to think that we know what will happen in the days or months ahead, but all we can say is "if the Lord wills." We must not let ourselves get caught up in plans for tomorrow, but remember to live for today. 

I've been reading Elisabeth Elliot's book Keep A Quiet Heart and the other day as I read, this quote stuck out to me: 

"Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now." 

I had intended to post that anyway, but it fits really well with this. O that we might never take a single breath for granted, but always live with purpose and intentionality, ever impacting the world for Christ and "seek[ing] first the Kingdom of God."