Fulfilling Your Purpose

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine passed away. I'm not sure exactly when she died in the middle of the night, or if she passed in the morning, but I know that just a few hours previously she had been posting on Facebook about finishing her homework and all of her plans for the future.

And then Death came, and took her. Just like that.

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That's how it happens. "No one knows the hour" doesn't just apply to the coming of the LORD, but also to our death. For some reason, it really struck a cord with me. Maybe it's because after our babies were born we meant to get together sometime, but it never happened. Maybe it's because she was one of our first friends to come over to our house and just hang out after the Mr. and I were married. Or maybe it's because she visited us in the hospital and was the first non family member to hold Daniel. There were intimate moments that we shared with one another, and so maybe that's why I'm still in shock.

And recently, another two young girls were killed by a falling tree on a road not too far from our house. A road we drive almost every day. And when I called my husband later, he fortunately was still at home and had slept late so he was behind schedule on dropping our kids off at my moms. Talk about a blessing, and a humbling thought to think that that could have been my family.

I was thinking about this earlier, and excuse me if I'm rambling, but I'm a firm believer that God calls us home when we've fulfilled our purpose. I was thinking, what purpose did Kriston fulfill all of a sudden? What did the Potter have planned for her? And are we so busy looking at the nitty gritty stuff that we're missing the big picture?

I write this not to be discouraging, or a put down, but to fill you in on my musings. I feel like if we were to actually soak in the fact that today is our last chance, we would live our lives drastically different. The grudges we hold, would become unimportant. The tightness in our hearts would loosen, judgments fade away, impatience turns into joy for life, distractions disappear. The focus would solely be loving our loved ones, and blessing those around us.

Let's focus on that and this verse about the importance of loving:

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." ~1 Corinthians 13:1-3

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And one more parting verse:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other." ~ John 15:9-17

Carpe diem or, more simply said, choose to love!