Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine Day

Linger Just a Moment Longer

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:20b (NIV)

Devotion:
Breathe in every moment of your day today.Recognize what a gift today is.Grab someone you love and let your embrace linger just a moment longer.Take mental pictures of the toothless grin of your baby, the tousled hair of your toddler, the crooked smile of your teenager. Hold your husband's hand.Look past the dirty dishes in the sink, the laundry piled high, the stuff the kids left out and see the beauty entangled in all this evidence of life.And thank God for it all. Right now, in this second, see the blessing.I guess I am in a reflective mood this week because I sat beside a family that so unexpectedly had to say goodbye to their Dad and husband. One minute the mom and daughters rushed past him giggling their way to the mall. I imagine the typical quick, "Love ya, see ya."

Less than an hour later, he was riding his bike when a car veered across the center lane and struck and killed him in front of my home.

The next day the family came over to my house and together we prayed at the place where his body was found.
So many questions. So many tears. As we sat in the circle surrounded by broken bicycle parts, pressed down grass, and police paint marks - it all just seemed so unbelievable. My neighbor Holly and I prayed and hoped that somehow through our fragile words the peace of Jesus would fill the gaping holes in their hearts.The thing that seemed to bring them the most comfort was knowing that we never left the scene of the accident. The minute we realized there was a cyclist involved, we started praying. We realized this was not just a victim -- this was someone's Daddy. Someone's husband. Someone's friend. We were there when they pronounced him dead on the scene. We stayed until the accident was cleared and the coroner came and took his body. He was never alone. Not so much because we were there but because Jesus was there. I pray they know this.Isn't this what every soul needs to know?The very last words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Matthew is, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." I have no idea what I might face, today, tomorrow, next week, or next year. No idea. Experiencing something like this forces you to see the stark reality of the brevity of life.So, I will breathe in every moment of my day today.I will recognize what a gift today is.I will grab those I love and let my embrace linger just a moment longer.I will take mental pictures.I will hold my husband's hand.And I will thank my Jesus for the gift of one more day.
Dear Lord, I recognize you are with me and those that I love. Thank you for this comfort. Please open my eyes to all my blessings today. Cement in my heart what a gift today really is. And may I never take for granted those I love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.


This was one of the devotions I read today, which I felt was so worth posting, especially for Valentines Day, very well written by Lysa TerKurst.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love you Nancy:)

Mari said...

That is a moving devotion. Life is short and we say that frequently but don't often live it. I'm glad you posted this - I'll try to live this way more often and tell those around me how important they are to me. You, for one are important to me. I love working with you and I really value our friendship. I know it is a friendship that won't end, because we will both spend our eternity in heaven. Love you, friend.

Mississippi Songbird said...

Thank you for this post. God Bless you and your family.Happy Valentines Day!

Cathy said...

That is a powerful devotional, Nancy. It really gives us something to think about. Happy Valentine's Day!

kari and kijsa said...

Hopefully this was a blessed day for all!
Happy Valentines Day from our hearts to you!

blessings,
kari & kijsa

Susan said...

Wonderful devotion. He holds us in His hand and the very next beat of our heart or breath of our lungs is under His control.
Susan

Cheri said...

What a great devotional and so true. You never know how quickly your life can totally change.
Thanks for being such a blessing to so many people.

Sandra said...

What a beautiful devotion Nancy, Wow!

Cherdecor said...

Nancy, thanks for keeping the fact that our lives are but a vapor in front of us.

Because I am a cancer survivor, I especially realize that life is fragile.

Thank you for such a great post.

Shelly said...

Hey Nance! That is a great devotion. Yes, life is short and we do need to grasp every moment. At first I was reading and thought the devotion was the first paragraph and then thought that incident happened outside your house.
I love ya!

Laura said...

Wow. That was a good devotion.

We never know where our lives will lead and we should appreciate every moment we have while we have it.

Thanks for the reminder Nancy!