“Those who died yesterday had plans for this morning. And those who died this morning had plans for tonight. Don’t take life for granted. In the blink of an eye, everything can change. So forgive often and love with a full heart. You never know when you may not have that chance again.” ~ Robert Mugabe
We appear to take many things for granted in life. We have this sense that the world revolves around us and that everything will come our way — has to come our way — because we are somehow entitled to it. Of course, that is not true at all. But that doesn’t stop us from believing it to be so. We take our health for granted. We take our jobs for granted. We take people for granted. We take God for granted. I could go on and on.
When we do so, when we take things or people for granted, we miss out on the beautiful gift and opportunity that they bring with them. We fail to see them for their full worth and value. If it is people we take for granted, we rarely support or encourage them. We don’t value their full worth. We take advantage of them and, in doing so, send a message that they have no real meaning.
How sad will be the day, the moment, when God calls us to Himself. To die in a vacuum where we have taken everything for granted, we will never realize our full potential. We will have missed out on all that God has wanted us to see, achieve, and possess.
It doesn’t have to be that way. We could easily change it by resetting the way we look at the world, our lives, and the other people in our lives. If we see things as gifts from God, we will have gratefulness in our hearts and will do all that we can to utilize our gifts for the benefit of all. We will reach out to those in need. We will affirm those who feel empty inside. We will be extensions of God’s love in our world.
It all comes down to which phrase we would rather hear when we die: “I tell you, I do not know who you are.” or “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
FAITH ACTION: Take nothing for granted today. Live life to the full and thank God for the precious gift you have been given.