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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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Life’s Too Short
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Life’s too short to not love freely. The newspaper accounts of aging centenarians celebrating birthdays with more candles than cake are far fewer than the accounts of a young life struck down by a drunk driver, a perverted sex offender, or even an accidental drowning. Families that live with terminally ill children understand the brevity of life. From neonatal cradles to athletic young men, life can be all too abruptly, silenced. I look in the mirror and I am no longer the young woman I once was. I attempt to cover the gray with hair color and refuse to expose the cellulite, and yet it seems that just yesterday I was involved with campus life and pursuing a degree in education with all of life still ahead of me. Truthfully, even for the centenarian, life is short. Biblically, life is referred to as a single breath, as a wind that passes and doesn’t return, as a flower of the field that bows to the wind, or as a vapor that appears and then just as quickly, vanishes. I enjoy playing with my grandkids in the backyard, and blowing softly colored bubbles that dance around their heads captivates my joy, as well as theirs. Of special joy is the delicate ball of color that floats a little longer than the rest, for most are like that single breath that is simply noticed, and then gone.
Love is the essence of life. It fulfills the deepest desires of our hearts. Christ Himself spoke of love as meeting not only the requirements of God’s law, but more importantly, the purpose and potential God created us for. It is a love that embraces both God and man, not by receiving, but by giving. God initiates that love in His relationship with us, plants it within our hearts, and asks us to simply give it back to Him and share it with others. What could be easier? I don’t need a magic formula to create it. I don’t need to search the depths of the ocean to find it, pore over books to unlock its mysteries, or labor incessantly to "make it happen." Because God is love, and because He lives within me, I have all the love I need! I simply need to choose to give it back to God and to share it with others. We all have "others" to share with. Our husbands. Our children. Our parents. Our siblings, and their families. Our friends. And life is sooo short! When did you last say, "I love you"? When did you last hug, turn off the TV and talk, eat a meal together and find out about the other’s day, spontaneously play together, work less and enjoy each other more? When the flowers of our lives bow to the wind, will we look back with regret, or will we have warm and precious memories that echo the years of a love that was given? The years are too short to hold on to grudges, to build walls out of our differences, to chase the emptiness of wealth, or to wait for a convenient time to spend time, loving. Life’s too short to not love freely. |
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— Bev |
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