Celebrate Life

Image by Toban Black via Flickr

"Celebrate Life" By Diane Webb

Psalms 30: 11—"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness".

How much joy have you experienced in your life? How long did it last? Have you ever experienced pure happiness over something? Have you ever celebrated just being alive? In this verse, the psalmist continues to write about his recovery from a life-threatening illness--one in which he obviously thought he'd die from. It's like he got a second chance--one he did not expect to have. He had already prepared himself for death yet he lived. Those around him must have been celebrating along with him. What appeared to be an impending funeral turned out to be a celebration of life. Have you ever thought you were going to die? Was it an imminent car accident, a house fire, or--like the psalmist--a serious illness? What went through your mind those moments you thought life was coming to an end? Did you go to the doctor fearing the worst and instead get a good report? If this has never happened to you imagine what it must be like to be days, minutes, or hours from death and know it—like a prisoner on death row. People who know they are going to die go through a process of preparation—mentally, spiritually, and physically. They make amends with people, they make arrangements for their loved ones, they get their finances in order, and they plan their own funeral. What would be your list of priorities if you knew you were going to die? Many people put off thinking of their own death or the death of those they love. Others think about it too much as if that's all they are living for—to die. The psalmist was obviously happy when he realized he was going to live a while longer. He was appropriately thankful to God and celebrated his recovery. We are all dying sooner or later. Some us will die unexpectedly and others of us will die after a long illness. In either case, we die to be with our God which is nothing to fear and cause for celebration itself. In the meantime, we all need to be mindful of the preciousness of life and how, in an instant, we can experience a sudden death of a loved one or we could die ourselves. We need to stay in a state of readiness while at the same time being joyful of our life while we have it. We need to be thankful for the minutes or days we are given to enjoy God's creation, spend time with those we love, and continue doing our life's work on earth. All too often we take our life for granted. We wake up and we go to bed without ever having given thought to the grace allowed us. Some people go to bed and do not awaken again—or awaken to something terrible. Others never make it to bed one night or they go to bed in mourning. We are not to be fearful of the uncertainty of our days or nights yet we all need to be thankful for life itself. No matter what is going on, what you do or don't have, and what your life is like—life is precious and is cause for celebration each and every day we are given. Let's be careful not to take life for granted. Let's not assume we are exempt from tragedy. While it's a good thing not to obsess about death, a healthy appreciation for life is warranted. As you go through today, look at life as a precious gift and be joyful because you have been given another day.

Dear Father, thank you for life and another day to do you work on earth. Thank you for the joys in my life—too numerous to count. Thank you for the people in my life and all the many blessings you've gifted me with. Help me, Lord, be more appreciative of this life and those blessings. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.