… and this life is not my own.

This day is a gift.

I’m guessing that many times you have heard, thought, and quite possibly have said those very words.

While most of the time we do believe that it is true in theory, we sometimes struggle with the reality. In the daily grind it might just seem like a platitude because, well, it just doesn’t quite feel like a good day sometimes, does it?

There are those days that we struggle just to get through another day, another week, another month… waiting for a better day in the future or one that at least seems to show the possibility of something better than just existing until the next “good day” rolls in.

Here is what I know: Perspective changes everything.

Countless times I have been at the graveside of my older sister who only lived 8 short months. I was born 10 months later. Next to her, my parents–her parents now lie.

Even for a stranger looking on, it is quite sad to think of these very young parents losing an infant daughter. For me it was a kind of double-sobering, because I saw the pain in my mama’s eyes, but I also saw the death of this child I never knew–as a precursor to my birth. For many years I would go with my mama to put fresh flowers on my sister’s lonely little grave. Now I sometimes go alone, visiting the three of them. As much as it hurts to see the still fresh ground piled on top of Mama’s grave, I can smile at the thought that she is reunited with that precious daughter that she had grieved for her whole life. A small gift in the daily. Perspective.

Thankful that death is not the end of the story, it is a fresh reminder that what we do in the here and now affects eternity. How hopeless would our lives be if this was all there is! The few short years that we live in this broken, sometimes cruel world would seem futile–unless you believe, as I do, that what we do in this world matters in the next. Celebrating little victories in each day, like choosing kindness, can soften even the hardest of hearts. As you show compassion to someone else, your own spirit is lightened and your burdens won’t seem quite as heavy.

Blessing others is a gift you give yourself.

What you might not have considered, though, is that the very characteristics that often change our attitude on any given day are actually quite Biblical.

“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:8-9 NASB

While I am not at all uncomfortable in a cemetery (strangely enough, I find them peaceful), and I absolutely love the fall season, I have to admit that I am not a fan of Halloween–at all! I couldn’t even stand to watch the Wizard of Oz as a kid because the witch creeped me out. The idea of celebrating witches and ghosts and all things scary makes me want to pull out my crosses and turn every light in the house on! The truth is, I’m not really afraid of any of those things, but I still prefer to avoid them…

…like most people want to avoid death. Only you can’t. It’s coming, and the Bible is very clear that only God knows the number of your days. He knows your past, present and future. He knows your abilities, your potential, and your mistakes. Yet this same God, Creator and Giver of Life, watches you change and grow and make decisions that determine the kind of person you will be. He allows us to choose, for better or worse, whether we will follow His plan or our own for this life that He created us for.

So if I am blessed to live a long life, what’s the reward for getting older? Hopefully I get wiser. I want to learn from the past, but not dwell there. I want to see God’s perspective on the past, but also in the present and His future plans for me. I want to be realistic about what my limitations are, but also what my gifts are, and find ways to leave a legacy of faith.

The way I see it, I have a choice to make. I can:

• Stop living even though I’m still breathing.
• Deny the inevitable.
• Live like there’s no tomorrow.
• Live like what I do today matters for eternity.

I choose the latter. I’m at least halfway to heaven(plus some)–unless tomorrow is my last day. Only heaven knows. What I do know is that today is an opportunity that I will never get get back. Just as seasons change, life brings changes in what I am able to do physically. I might have to limit or adapt to changes in my schedule, but I don’t want to think there is any limit on the things that really matter. Like love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Gentleness. Self-control. The Book of Galatians lists all of these attributes as “the fruit of the spirit”, or the evidence of God’s presence in our lives.

What if, today all that God really wants to see in me is kindness. Might my kindness make a difference in someone else’s day? Absolutely. But it very likely will also make a difference in mine, and that just might change my perspective.