Finally Able to Breathe Again

The past couple of weeks have been so exhausting, I wondered when the calm would come (packing and moving into our new condo, then unpacking, sorting what is needed and what isn't and getting everything put away) but the calm has finally come and I've been able to catch my breath.

Today my thoughts have been traveling in several different directions. Before going to church this

morning, I spoke for a while with a friend who has been facing some tough challenges both physically and emotionally, and in the midst of it all, he lost his sister to cancer. Already dealing with a terminal illness himself, this news almost broke him completely. Sadly, he was hurt by his family and cannot trust them, and since this beloved sister was the only one he COULD trust, he is basically alone.
Talking with this friend is always a draining experience, but this morning I literally felt the Lord's spirit calming me and helping me know what to say to calm and comfort my friend. And the thoughts I shared were actually a comfort to me as well. It was nothing new really, just the same things I have always known, but I guess I needed the reminder too. It was simply this:

This life truly is but a small moment, just the blink of an eye. The pains and struggles we suffer now make this life seem long, and sometimes trials make the days seem so hard to bear, but one day, when this part of our existence is over, we will look back and realize how short, but how oh-so-significant these days really are. It  is what we do with this life that matters. It is how we endure these times that means everything. We need to do what we can to be a blessing to others while we are here, and make this time matter.

How I wish wish every fiber of my being that I could express what is in my heart concerning this. How I wish I could express how important it is.
Because in the end, the temporal things we acquire in this world - money, degrees, power and prestige, titles, status, fame, prominence, notoriety - none of it will mean a thing. It will all be counted as vanity, unless we have used what we were blessed with to bless the lives of others.

Happy Sabbath!