The news article spoke of how she looked at him, seeing his face, moving candle buckets as she found a place to position her body, to brace against the storm. The article continued by stating her words, “That was the last time I saw my boyfriend’s face.”

She survived the storm.  He did not.

During the early hours of Saturday morning, the people of Kentucky and surrounding other states were reminded of the value of life.

Life.

Do we value life every day?
Do we value our own lives every day?
Do we look around our dinner tables, inside our children’s bedrooms, at our grandparents nearby, at our parents’ constant presence, & Do we even look in our own mirrors hanging in our still-standing homes and find value in the lives we continue to see?

I wonder today: Do We Really Value LIFE?
Do we say, “Thank You, God, for taking us through the night to see the dawning of this new day?
And do we remember to say, “Thank You, God,” day after day after day after . . . (you know—DAY)?
Do we see our husbands as they are sent to uncover debris, as they comb the hard-hit areas for bodies, searching for life?
Do we hear our daughter’s say, “If I had to be found, I would want someone like dad finding me?”

Do we value life—all life?

Do we go out every day, even today, telling the world how Jesus came to save the lost?

Do we leave our homes, intent upon telling others our testimony—How we were once lost—How Jesus found us—How Jesus saved us and set us free?
Do we value life—all life as Jesus commands us to do in His Word?

Do we care about others who are suffering, who struggle daily to survive, unsure where to turn, not knowing if they can even survive through this day?
Do we show them we are His by our love?
Do we listen to God’s Holy Spirit and then go and do—Wherever and However He leads us?
Do we value life as God values life?
Do we love our fellow man as Jesus demonstrated?
Do we value the lives of all God’s creation—OR—Do we only value our own individual life?

Are we self-absorbed?
Are we self-focused?
Are we self-satisfying?
Are we selfish in our thinking, serving our own needs, our own wants, our own agendas?
What are we, if not HIS?—Who are we if not HIS?—Those of us (like me) who call ourselves HIS—Who stand on Sunday, singing songs filled with lyrics that proclaim, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love,” Yes, Us—the BELIEVERS!

DO WE VALUE ALL LIFE?

AND

DO WE SEEK GOD’S FACE, GOING AS HE LEADS, SPEAKING AS HIS SPIRIT PROMPTS, LOVING OTHERS IN HIS NAME?

DO WE VALUE LIFE—OR—DO WE JUST SAY WE DO?

Yes, today, I am propelled to write as the photos of Saturday’s storm linger inside my mind—inside all of our minds. We cannot escape the stories of death and recovery that fill our ears.  We watch the news feeds. We see the resilience of people displayed on the television screen.  We hear the words of those we love saying, “I put on my glasses as I sat looking out the window in the wee hours of the morning.  I wanted my glasses so I could see, in case something happened,” and we realize in that moment, that she was sitting there, all alone, in her living room.
We hear the words of our friend who spoke yesterday in church, as she quietly said, “I don’t know what I would grab if I could only take a few things to the basement with me.”

LIFE.
DEATH.
LIFE HERE ON EARTH AND THEN OUR DEATH.

LIFE HERE ON EARTH AND THEN OUR ETERNITY IN HEAVEN—OR—OUR ETERNITY IN HELL.

Spoken last words & Final last visions.
Glances at those we love who are suddenly no longer present when we look again where they once stood.
Death can come to us so quickly and without any warning.
We must be ready.
We must know where we stand with God.

WE MUST!

In the Bible, we see the many ways the LORD protects and provides and covers our sins.  We see the LORD’S Salvation.

Please do not believe me but read God’s Word. Hear David call upon the LORD.

If today proves to become our final day of life, may we each seek the LORD’S face. . . TODAY, early today, even right now at this moment, while there still remains time to choose, to decide.