Thankful Thursday ~ Thankful for Life

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." ~ James 4:14

A secretary who used to work for my dad.

Two troubled young women who lived nearby.

The estranged wife of a former Senator who had to live a public life in the light of his scandalous mistakes.

All four lives lost.

Recent losses that have forced me to think once more on the brevity of this life.  It is but a vapor.  A speck on the line of eternity.

I don't know much about Irene, other than that I'd talked to her a few times at my dad's office.  She was a sweet woman who loved to see Ella whenever we came in.  Ella reminded her of her own granddaughter.  Irene died alone.  She and her daughter had been on difficult terms and had not spoken in some time.  She had some health issues, but nothing that seemed life threatening.  She was here one day, gone the next.

Two young women were murdered near my house and their bodies were found this past week.  Jamie Broxson and Debra Jones.  The local paper has given us a lot of information about Jamie.  She led a difficult life, all mixed up with drugs and prostitution.  She was only 25 and had 2 children.  The patrons at an establishment where she danced from time to time didn't even know her name.  We still don't know much about the other victim, Debra Jones, other than that she was only 19 years old.  Two lives, taken brutally, without much notice.

Elizabeth Edwards had to live out the worst days of her life in public view.  She is married to John Edwards, a former U.S. Senator who sought a presidential nomination in 2004.  When he lost the nomination, he became the running mate of John Kerry.  During his bid for the vice presidency, Elizabeth found out she had breast cancer.  It was revealed in January of this year that her husband had cheated on her and fathered a child.  This lie was kept under covers for 2 years, while his wife battled a horrible disease.  I cannot imagine her pain.  Earlier this week, doctors told her that the cancer had become untreatable and she was sent home.  She died on Tuesday at the age of 61.  She was surrounded by friends and family.  Another life, gone too soon.

"Indeed, you have made the length of my days [only] a few inches. My life span is nothing compared to yours. Certainly, everyone alive is like a whisper in the wind."  ~  Psalm 39:5

"Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow."  ~  Psalm 144:4

My heart is troubled by how flippantly I waste minute upon minute of my days here on this earth.  I long to make my life mean something more.  To use every breath God has given me to glorify Him.  To make His Name known.  To speak words that need to be spoken today, instead of putting them off until tomorrow.  To urgently proclaim Christ's message of hope and healing to a dying world. 

By the grace of God, you have this one day He has given you.  Use it well.  Make it mean something.  And be thankful for this day.  You may not have tomorrow.