Tiffany called to tell me about the funeral of her school's student, Calli, who died tragically in an accident last week along with her stepfather. One friend told the story about a day in the summer when Calli talked about heaven, asking her to have a relationship with Christ, to make sure heaven would be her destination, and to look forward to life in heaven. Others talked about her passion for life, her energy, and her decision to ask Christ to come into her life after attending a camp at Triangle Lake. And. Then. Calli's mother stood and spoke about her daughter and husband. This brave woman is left behind with two children and a baby. Can you imagine the courage and energy it took to prepare her words and then to share them with the thousands that came? And, my niece, Natalie, one of Calli's friends, sang with a couple of others to give tribute to her friend. It had to have been extremely difficult to sing with the heaviness of sorrow rather than her usual joy. The suddenness of death, especially in one so young, leaves an indelible mark. We grieve for the loss and for what might have been. And. We are comforted with the fact that Calli lived so well in such a short time, making each day count. The Spirit of God reiterated a familiar message to me as I listened to the stories of Calli:
. . . The Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8, NLT).
Love mercy. The thing is . . . mercy is an action, which I define as the collision of love, grace, peace, and compassion . . . which transforms a life. Certainly mercy is not based on what's deserved, but rather on what's on the heart of God.
Walk humbly with your God. To be humble, we must surrender the stuff, confessing it all to God, going the way God goes rather than our own way.
Refuse to waste one day. Remember each day is a gift. Live the day the way God says to live it.
Learning to Kickstart the day by living it as if it's my last day.
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
Live like it's your last day. Do not die with regret.Consider:
. . . The Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8, NLT).
None of us know when our life on earth will end. It would be heartbreaking to die on a day which had not been lived well. God's words speak to living the day as if it's your last day, a gift to be invested: "Do what is right. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God." If, we live in this manner, we will live the day as it's meant to be lived and die without regret.Do what is right. Seriously, we know what's right. If, it aligns with who God is and what God says, then, it's right. Even so, we seem to struggle with what's right. I believe we are created to know what's right: what's honest, honorable, trustworthy, and just; however, we struggle with doing it, trying to tweak it to align with our individual needs and desires. You've done it and I've done it. There's nothing pretty about the mess that occurs from not doing the right thing.
Love mercy. The thing is . . . mercy is an action, which I define as the collision of love, grace, peace, and compassion . . . which transforms a life. Certainly mercy is not based on what's deserved, but rather on what's on the heart of God.
Walk humbly with your God. To be humble, we must surrender the stuff, confessing it all to God, going the way God goes rather than our own way.
Refuse to waste one day. Remember each day is a gift. Live the day the way God says to live it.
Learning to Kickstart the day by living it as if it's my last day.
Kerrie
(written by Kerrie Carlisle Palmer © 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)