Make the Most of It!

Ephes. 5:16-17 (MsgB)
Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

I absolutely hate when it takes me hearing something that is heart-wrenching to remind me to not live unthinkingly. Today was no exception.

Today I read that my friend, Fran, has stage 4 cancer in various places throughout her body. Fran had breast cancer and had been clean for 4 1/2 years. She found a swollen lymph node recently and her back started hurting terribly. They found out this week that the cancer, which was not present in her body in December, has come back with a vengeance.

I have never actually met Fran. We know each other from a homeschool message board and I have always been drawn to the sweetness of her spirit and her trust in the Lord. These are the same traits that were evident even in Fran's announcement that her cancer had returned!

And now I am reminded how fragile life truly is and how every day really is a gift so often taken for granted. How many days do I waste griping and complaining because things haven't gone the way I wanted or because my kids are driving me crazy? How many? Too many!!! As my friend Michele said, news like Fran's is a kick in the seat of the pants that instantly brings perspective.

I don't know what the Lord has in store for Fran, but the road isn't going to be easy. She has 2 little girls and one is a recently adopted daughter with some physical handicaps. She is already very tired and in a lot of pain and it makes me sad to know the long road she has ahead of her. I am sure the Lord has lots of things He's going to teach me as I see how Fran walks this road with dignity, grace and a trust that Papa knows what He is doing. (Here's her blog if you would like to follow her journey with me ~ http://fkonick.blogspot.com/2010/03/youve-got-be-kidding-me.html)

I pray every time the Lord brings Fran to my mind will be an opportunity to pray for her ~ and for me! I want to make the most of EVERY day the Lord has given me. I want to live with purpose and I want to live in such a way that when I come to the end of my life I have no regrets! I want to laugh more and complain less. I want to trust Him more and allow my mind to imagine less. I want to live in such a way that others see my life and become thirsty for what I've got.

Most of all, though, I want the Lord to heal sweet Fran's body here on earth...please!