I remember back in 1986 I was sitting in one of those ever so annoying touchy feely group bonding exercises at South Dakota State University. My friend Norb had just come back from burying his father. We were going around the circle answering questions like, "If you were an animal, which animal would you be" and "what color describes your personality." And then came the question, "When do you feel most alive?"
And Norb's response was one I have never forgotten. He said, "I feel most alive when I am looking at someone who isn't." I thought it was a bit strange, actually, but as I overhear Bart watching the news of the shooting last night in Vegas, I realize that this is very true. We recognize that life is a gift when someone that we love dies or when we hear of tragedies where people have lost their lives. When we hear about someone who isn't alive ... who got up yesterday morning like it was any other Sunday... and by the end of that day had entered eternity -- we realize that we are alive.
WE ARE ALIVE! The people we love, the earth God created for us, the tasks of this day are to be embraced. We should not take a single day for granted.
The last verse of the books of Psalms says, "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
The words to this song have been running through my mind over and over again today because it explains two things: 1) It's God's breath in our lungs. Without him there would be no breath -- because it is His very breath. Each breath is a gift.
and 2) When we have this breath, it's our responsibility to pour out our praise. It's the natural response to having breath -- praise.
Appreciate, enjoy, even celebrate God's breath in your lungs today by praising Him!
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