Life is But a Breath

"Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered-how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath, even those who seem secure." Psalm 39:4-5

I just got off the telephone with a dear friend. She called to let me know that her husband passed away quite unexpectedly. She had gone out to work on the yard on Sunday afternoon around 1:00 and her husband was on the computer. She worked outside for a few hours and when she came inside around 2:30 he had passed away from a heart attack. How quickly life can be taken from us. One minute our loved ones are here and the next they are gone! This reminded me of a little sparrow I found at school. I took little Charlie home with me and I fed him every few hours and he began to get strong. Soon he was getting feathers and he was bonding to me like I was his mother. I would make a little sweatshirt nest for him at night and put him to bed. One night, I had fed him and put him down in his little nest in my room. I went to the livingroom and I heard the flutter of wings. I thought, "Oh Charlie, you are up!" I went to his bed and he was not there. I went around the house looking and calling, "Charlie, Charlie" and no Charlie. Now I am getting worried and I went to the bathroom and turned on the light. There on the floor I found little Charlie. He was lying dead on the floor. I picked him up and his neck was broken. You see, he was using his new wings to find me and he must have flown right into the door and broke his neck. I was devastated! I sat on the floor and cried for a very long time for the loss of Charlie. I realized how precious life really is. Life can be here at one moment and gone the next. I learned a lesson that day, not to take life for granted, for at any moment, the Lord can decide to bring someone home. I will always remember Charlie and the valuable life lesson he showed me. It was that same day that I realized he lived a good life and his life was to guide me to Psalm 39 and to realize that people can be here for a short period of time but they will leave their mark on the ones left behind. God creates life for specific periods of time and with that gift of life, each person has somehow, touched the lives of others. It is a question that I leave with you today. Are you investing in others, so to leave a legacy? Are you making the most out of this life for God so that when you face Him one day, He will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant".  What life correction can you do right at this moment that can make the most with the life that God has given you?