BE THANKFUL . . . VERY THANKFUL!

The recent death of a good friend has caused me to pause and reflect. And I've come to one great big conclusion, "I'm not thankful enough!" Yeah, that's right, I take so much for granted that it's not funny and it's time to stop it.I don't know about you, but I find myself thinking that people and things will just be there. I say "see you later," but there's not a guarantee that I will. I spoke to my friend on Wednesday night and by Friday afternoon he was dead, brutally murdered, in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's unbelievable!Still, God has a plan. I know that absent from the body is present with the Lord. My friend's eternity was secure because of his trust in Jesus Christ. So, there is no need to mourn for him in this regard. He might not have been totally sure about the end, but there is not more time to worry, because the end has come.What about you? Who or what are you taking for granted? Do you think that the people and things you love so much are just going to be there for you? Well, I pray that you wise up and realize that we are just pilgrims passing through . . . that things leave us as fast as they came to us. We don't know when our final seconds will come, or for that matter those of the one we love.Our challenge is to be more thankful. Thankful that God has spared our lives . . . thankful for the very breath in our bodies . . . thankful for our senses and that the work . . . thankful that we can live and love . . . thankful for what seem to be the "small things." There is no place for regret in our lives, thinking about what could have been. I'm there and it's not a good feeling. But, the truth is that I cannot do anything about that now, I have to move on and move on I will.And moving on is tough, it's tough right now. I am thankful that I know that God of all comfort and his word let me know (Matthew 5), . . . "blessed are they who mourn, for that will be comforted." Don't wait any longer and don't keep taking things for granted . . . before you know it, they might be gone.