While we are alive on this earth, it does matter how we live. It does matter what we do and say and wear and eat and who we spend time with and how we interact with others and how we spend our money and how we make money and where we go and what we do and the list goes on and on and on.
It does matter. It does mean something. It is important.
Last night was one of those nights that I was surfing the net. I read where my sister's dear friend's mother, Maureen had died. She had been fighting a battle with cancer and passed away yesterday. Her daughter Carolyn announced that her Mother's new address is now heaven. A few days ago, Carolyn announced that her Mom was dying and it was an honor to be present when her Mom was transitioning from this earth into heaven.
I checked photos. One showed Maureen sitting in a chair, head hair all gone and using a breathing tube. Still a slight smile on her face.
Years ago, I remember riding in Maureen's car with her and her mom. We were on our way to go to an out of town home party. You know those parties where you go into someone's home and see what's for sale and possibly purchase something and wait for it to come in the mail or the person that's hosting the show brings the item to your home when it arrives?
Well, we were going to one of these. Funny, I cannot remember where that party was or where we were going, but I do remember that I sat in the back seat of the car and we talked all the way there and talked all the way home while traveling in the dark of the night. Maureen's Mom shared how her Husband worked such long farming hours and would be exhausted, but they still had time to make a large family!!! hehehe.
I spent time with Maureen when we lived in Hugoton, Kansas, My children were so young and I was y o u n g. When I met Maureen, I was a friend to her daughter-in-law, Donna. Donna and I would let our children play and we'd visit. Donna had two children and I had three. But when I first met Donna, I only had a new born and she had a toddler. We lived in Hugoton for five years. From the time my oldest was a month old, me giving birth to two more children and until my youngest was half a year old.
One Summer we let our children play in a wading pool in Donna's back yard. Maureen was there and we had such a nice time.
At that time we started to attend the First Christian Church where Maureen went, so our Sunday School Class would go out to her farm for socials. Fun and fond memories.
As I sit here and type, I'm thinking about life in general and how things are going. Things going on can definitely wear one down and I know first hand that life isn't always a picnic and easy to enjoy. Events, situations, circumstances, people, bills, health, etc. can take up too much of one's energy and time. They can require way more from you than you can give or carry. Staying balanced can be a challenge in itself.
This is when one's prayer life and turning your eyes toward Jesus bring relief and comfort.
Maureen is a Christian Lady that made her entrance into the presence of God. Yesterday she was completely healed and is suffering no pain. I remember her wide and bright smile. Beautiful.
I continued to surf the net late last night and saw someone I know celebrating her daughter's 21st Birthday just as drunk as drunk can be. Her life is made up of celebrating with booze and it's an every week-end thing. One drunken week-end after another drunken week-end after another. On and on.
Some get tanked up over a week-end, have a hang over and feel awful on Sunday. Monday comes and it's an effort to go to work or even get out of bed. So they treat themselves to a drink to help wake them up and feel no pain. By Friday, they're geared up to go out and get drunk again and the cycle repeats itself. HANG OVERS. My Dad would call it having the BROWN BOTTLE FLU. He's not fond of drunks. His childhood tells the story of knowing the misery of being a child of a drinking father that would beat on his mother after getting tanked up. The pain runs deep.
Another one of the women in these pics that I know is so called p a r t y ing and there in her hand is the infamous brown bottle. This woman's sister actually drank herself to death leaving behind two children that needed their Mom......and yet there she is drinking. Does she think it won't happen to her?
When you live this kind of partying lifestyle of drunkenness and smoking... there's a huge chance of your skin showing the signs of old age before it should. The facial skin is tougher than it should be and the voice gets to sounding husky from smoking called SMOKER'S VOICE. The decisions we make while drunk out of our heads leads to dangerous situations with awful consequences. You'll pay a price that may cost you true happiness and/or cost you your life. It can cut your life short and prevent you from experiencing the goodness of God while being alive on earth. He has blessings for you that you'll not receive. You'll not know the meaning of true happiness, true prosperity, peace, and joy. You'll be cheated out of true blessings.
God still loves you, but doesn't want you to remain in a destructive lifestyle of any kind. It might be drugs, overspending, not paying your bills, having a raging temper, lying, cheating, taking what isn't yours, over eating, under eating, mess-a-holic, viewing porn, sneaking around, ignoring your responsibilities, ignoring your children, not there when you're there, always being late, driving while intoxicated, nervous, stoned out of your head and bedding down whatever comes your way.....
God loves us and wants us to lean on him. He has a good plan for your life. One that will not destroy you. One that gives you a hope AND A FUTURE. You are a somebody. You matter. You have importance. You have huge potential in you. He can ignite your spirit. You will make a difference in this world. You can be a success. You will make God smile.
Between Maureen's life and these two other gals I know.....Maureen's life held good things. She bore good fruit. These two other gals, not so good.
While we're living our lives, it does matter how we live. And it does matter what happens after we die. The afterlife is a reality and where we spend eternity is a reality. This earthly life will pass quickly.
The peace that passes understanding comes from the LORD Jesus. You are a candidate for a peaceful life when Jesus is your Lord. While you are alive, you can be at peace even when cancer is raging in your body.
While we are alive on this earth, it does matter how we live. The time will come when we die. But how did we live while we were here?
Maureen knew and knows the Lord. Now she is eternally in His presence.
~Deanna~
