Beauty In Every Stage Of Life
I am snuggled in bed on this chilly Pennsylvania morning and as I lay here, I reflect on the brevity of life.
At the age of 72, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the fleeting nature of our time on earth especially on a day like today when I find myself sick with an illness that can result in blood clots.
It’s not something I take lightly. A friend of mine since elementary school shared her experience from last year when she had a pulmonary blood clot after having the same bug I have now.
I am reflecting on a promise found in Psalm 139:16 NLT, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
My comfort is that God has every day of my life recorded and there isn’t anything that can happen to me outside of his God ordained plan.
My mind wanders to Ecclesiastes 3:11 where I am reminded that "He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
What an encouragement! I can trust that God makes all things beautiful in HIS timing and there is beauty to be found in every stage of life.
As we navigate life's seasons, we can reflect on the unique purposes and blessings that each phase is bringing to us. They don’t always feel like blessings but they are. As Laura Story sings in her song, Blessings,
“What if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near? And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”
I love this song. The truth of the words is so powerful.
My own tapestry of life has included the joys of marriage, parenthood, and caregiving. While challenges have arisen, every season has also brought its own distinct blessings.
And my greatest blessings came through tears. God taught me things I didn’t even know I needed to learn. That’s the purpose of Tapestry to Joy, “To comfort others as God has comforted me.” 2 Corinthians 1:4.
James 4:14 reminds us, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."
Moses tells us in Psalm 90:10, 12, “The length of our days is 70 years—or 80…they quickly pass, and we fly away….Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,”
Like I said, I’m 72. I’m on the final leg of my journey here on earth which causes me to reevaluate my priorities in life.
Human life is but a vapor and eternal life is everlasting. How I live during the vapor of life determines how I am going to exist for millions and millions and millions of years.
My choices now are going to affect me FOREVER! I mean literally forever - as in eternity.
And so for my first blog of 2025 I asked myself the question, What will be my central focus in the coming year? And here is where I landed.
God's will for me is to “…focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13.
Hum! How do I do that?
Sherry White helped me focus on who I want to be in http://www.themessychristian.com.
Here is what she wrote:
“You are most like Jesus when you show love to people who don't love you back and do good to people even though they have not done good to you.
You are most like Jesus when you put God's will above your own. When you do what pleases your Father and not yourself.
You are most like Jesus when you give people what they need and not what they deserve. You are most like Jesus when you speak truth with love and not condemnation.
We cannot be Jesus, but we can try to be most like Him - with his help.”
And so my challenge to you today is, what is going to be your focus for 2025?
Set one goal. Just one.
What change are you going to make in order to be more like Jesus?
