my God is with you ...

life is short. we all know this. and yet we so easily forget. then you’re standing in walmart and suddenly the fact that they changed your favorite hair product is remarkably inconsequential. suddenly every word in every condolence card - combined - can not come close to expressing the sentiments of your heart.

as a friend pointed out today, it’s mind-boggling to consider that God, in His infinite wisdom, would decide that someone’s time on earth should come to a close. especially someone so young, so full of life, and with an impact on so many people. or i think about the people who died at a sugarland concert tonight. one minute they’re enjoying their favorite music from a premium position. the next, they’re standing before God. stops you in your tracks to think about it.

i had the pleasure of enjoying some of my favorite music tonight, too (without event, thankfully). britt nicole has made up much of the soundtrack for the last 3 years of my life, and i so enjoyed finally getting to see her live. (i actually accidentally typed ‘life’ first, then realized what an accurate statement that is. her music isn’t just songs she sings. it’s backed up by an undeniable authenticity that makes me respect her that much more. but i digress.) afterward, she signed autographs for a while, and i saw that she had written 1 chronicles 28:20 along with her name.

then david said to his son solomon, “be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

this is actually one of my favorite verses, but i thought it was particularly applicable after today. first is the call to act. who knows when your time on earth will be done. never miss an opportunity to act, because you might not be here tomorrow. second, is the fact that God will be with us for as long as it takes for His work to be completed.

philippians 1:6 says, “for i am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” we can never know when our ‘day of Christ Jesus’ will come, but we can rest assured that when it does He will have completed His perfected work in us ... even if that’s much earlier than we might like.

my thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of all those that passed today. may we live our lives with greater purpose because of the legacies that they left.