Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
(Ephesians 1: 4, NLT)
I attended a funeral this weekend for a man. In my perspective, he was too young to die. His death was unexpected. No one was prepared for him to die. Then again, death usually catches us by surprise.
I think he would have been stunned to see the church filled up with so many people and to hear their stories about how he had made a difference in their life. As people shared their personal connection, I was struck with the fact that we often only know an individual in one context. I knew more about his struggles than about his creative abilities, musical talent, and passion for fishing. And . . . I did not realize how much he loved and served people in simple ways . . . all the time . . . regardless of his personal circumstances. And there is more . . . he loved living.
He leaves a powerful legacy: Regardless of what we struggle with in life . . . we can love and serve people and enjoy the simple things of life. Life can be hard; however, when all said and done, how we live our life is a daily choice.
Is it really that simple to make a difference and enjoy life when life gets complicated and difficult?
The Apostle Paul wrote that every person has been chosen and loved, to live fully and wholly through Christ, before the beginning of time. To put it simply, God determined that the world could not do without a specific individual in a specific era and time. Each day has been chosen for us to live in Christ. In turn, we need to reformat and broaden our perspective beyond ourselves on a daily basis . . . to see there is a planned daily purpose . . . to love all . . . to serve all . . . to be grateful for life . . . to make each day count . . . regardless of the struggles of living.
We have a specific number of days to live. We know we will die; however, death would be unexpected today or in the near future for most of us.
Choose to live beyond your struggles.
Love all.
Serve all.
Be grateful for life.
Learning with you to make each day count . . .
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2007 All Rights Reserved)
