The Gift of Today

I have a smartwatch that periodically tells me to breathe. It even reminds me when I’m working out. But I think there’s actually a very good message there.

That breath you’re drawing right now is a gift from God. There might be someone in a hospital today struggling, hoping for his or her next breath, so we should never take it for granted.

Every day of our lives is a gift from God. Every single heartbeat is a blessing. So don’t take your health for granted. And don’t take your family for granted.

The Bible reminds us in Psalm 90, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (verse 12 NLT).

When our son Christopher was killed in an automobile accident at age 33, it was crushing. It was devastating and life-altering. I wondered if I would even survive it. It felt like time stood still for all of us. I felt as though I could die, literally.

But in my time of weakness, I called out to the Lord, and He was there for me. He sustained me on that day, and He sustains us all to this day  because the Bible says that He’s the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3 NKJV).

Sometimes things happen in life that are unfair and tragic, and we want answers. But if God told us, we wouldn’t be happy. If God said, “All right, I’m tired of your asking why, so I’m going to tell you. Are you ready? Here’s why. . . .”

We wouldn’t like it. It wouldn’t make sense to us this side of Heaven. So instead of asking why, turn to the Lord and cry out to Him. Bring your pain to God. Bring your sorrow to God.

We live on promises, not on explanations. So we shouldn’t spend too much time wondering why.