Death doesn't scare me much any more

Yesterday, we had some powerful storms roll through our neighborhood. At first it was just raining really hard and then the winds picked up. Things began slamming against the house and I was afraid windows would be broken. The rain came in torrents and it was difficult to see what was happening outside. I didn't know if we were under a severe weather advisory or not because my weather radio did not sound an alarm. As things seemed to progress and the winds grew stronger, I wondered if perhaps a tornado was approaching. I decided to be safe and go into an interior room of my house until things calmed down a little. While I was in that little room, I began to pray. I asked God to put a hedge of protection over our house and keep me safe. After about an hour, the rains began to dwindle and the wind stopped blowing. I was thankful.

I have many a brush with death over my 58 years of life. The first came when I was 13. My gallbladder ruptured allowing gangrene to spread quickly through my body. If it weren't for the quick thinking on my doctor's part, I wouldn't be here today. The next near death experience came in 1991 when I was involved in a severe automobile accident. I was hit head on and my right leg was crushed. If I hadn't been driving a larger, older model car, I wouldn't have made it but God's providence protected me. My last brush with death was 2 years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Once again, God allowed me to live instead of die.

Death doesn't scare me too much anymore. When you've stared it in the face over and over again, you come to the realization that not one thing is in your control. It's easier to accept that fact that God holds my days in the palm of His hand than to worry about what may or may not happen in the next minute or in the next few days. I have learned to live in the moment and for that, I'm so grateful.

My next door neighbor called me a few minutes ago and told me a tornado skirted across her property yesterday afternoon. She said there were 17 large pine trees down and many others were twisted off at the tops. Limbs and all sorts of debris covered her property. That explains why the weather was so terrible. I'm so thankful God protected us both. She has also had several brushes with death. Twenty three years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through treatment and spent years being cancer free. Last year, she was told her cancer had come back and now she's got stage 4 metastatic cancer. She and I both know we can't take a single day for granted. It's amazing what it takes to make some people realize how very short life is...don't waste any time! Live for today and don't be afraid of what may happen tomorrow. Death has no power over you. God says in His Word that it's appointed once for man to die and after that the judgment. We don't need to fear death but we do need to be concerned that we are living the way God wants us to live day to day. Life is amazingly short and the older I get, the more I realize this to be true. Count your blessings and be grateful! You never know when God will call you home.

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