Living, Dying and Starting Over
It's a rare find to meet someone and have him there for a lifetime. Most people in our lives simply pass through and we no longer have a second chance to meet them again. There are those who stay with us for a while and share special memories that may last a lifetime. And there are those whose lives have touched ours so profoundly, that even their influence leaves a mark in our humanity.
The fragility of life is tested when a special person is suddenly lost. At times the pain is so unbearable that to function normally will be an ordeal. To have lost a dear person in our lives by death or separation because of work, school or other circumstances can be a long process of overcoming and forgiving.
What is more painful is to lose someone dear because of greed, ill intent or sheer callousness. At times we are unaware that the things we say or do actually leave a definitive scar in the lives of people close to us.
Betrayal is painful because it is not a stranger or an acquaintance who can cause such a pain. Betrayal is a bitter pill caused by a friend, close enough to cause you death of the soul. It really doesn't matter what most people say to you, but when a dear friend actually says something ill about you, then it becomes something too difficult to bear.
The beauty about life is having second chances. No matter how many times we fail, God's grace allows us to rise again, receive His forgiveness and start over. It is no use trying to live up to people's standards. We are prone to make mistakes and we are prone to keep falling short of people's expectations. I have stopped pleasing people. It is an endless struggle for attention and it really takes the joy out of living.
I have made a lot of mistakes along the way. I have done a lot of harm to myself and to others. I am way beneath people's standards of what a good Christian should be. It is only by God's grace that I am alive and I even breathe today. I have no excuse for my bad behavior.
One thing I know for sure is that my Lord, my Savior and my King loves you and me. He died on the cross of Calvary to redeem us from the law of sin and death. He is my reason for living, my hope for a better and brighter tomorrow and my very life depends on obeying Him fully.
It is sad that not everyone come to know the Lord Jesus. It is still ultimately man's choice - to serve God or not. If I have lived to make one life easier, then my life has not been in vain. That is all that really matters.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
The fragility of life is tested when a special person is suddenly lost. At times the pain is so unbearable that to function normally will be an ordeal. To have lost a dear person in our lives by death or separation because of work, school or other circumstances can be a long process of overcoming and forgiving.
What is more painful is to lose someone dear because of greed, ill intent or sheer callousness. At times we are unaware that the things we say or do actually leave a definitive scar in the lives of people close to us.
Betrayal is painful because it is not a stranger or an acquaintance who can cause such a pain. Betrayal is a bitter pill caused by a friend, close enough to cause you death of the soul. It really doesn't matter what most people say to you, but when a dear friend actually says something ill about you, then it becomes something too difficult to bear.
The beauty about life is having second chances. No matter how many times we fail, God's grace allows us to rise again, receive His forgiveness and start over. It is no use trying to live up to people's standards. We are prone to make mistakes and we are prone to keep falling short of people's expectations. I have stopped pleasing people. It is an endless struggle for attention and it really takes the joy out of living.
I have made a lot of mistakes along the way. I have done a lot of harm to myself and to others. I am way beneath people's standards of what a good Christian should be. It is only by God's grace that I am alive and I even breathe today. I have no excuse for my bad behavior.
One thing I know for sure is that my Lord, my Savior and my King loves you and me. He died on the cross of Calvary to redeem us from the law of sin and death. He is my reason for living, my hope for a better and brighter tomorrow and my very life depends on obeying Him fully.
It is sad that not everyone come to know the Lord Jesus. It is still ultimately man's choice - to serve God or not. If I have lived to make one life easier, then my life has not been in vain. That is all that really matters.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."