“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14 NIV)

           This verse is a reminder of the unpredictability of our lives.  The word “mist” compares life to a fleeting vapor or fog.  Just as morning mist quickly burns off with the rising sun, our life is short, fragile, and temporary.  Life happens. If we do not cherish the moment, we are in, it is gone.  

           This scripture calls us to intentionally live each day fully, each moment fully, rather than taking the future for granted.  We are to live each moment as if it were our last.  It is shifting your focus from trying to control the situation, to engaging in the situation, making the most out of what is happening at that moment.  Sure, life can and will be hard.  It is learning to practice gratitude each moment.  It is learning to notice small, immediate blessings.

           I was talking with this man.  He was complaining about this and that—how bad life was—how unfair life had been.  You know “woe is me”.  This is a constant theme in his life.  Nothing is good, nothing goes his way.  Then all of a sudden I said, “You woke up!  Praise be to God.” Was it the right thing to say, who knows, but it is a true statement. We woke up today.  Praise be to God.  We are alive.

           Today, remember life will happen.  Focus on the good things that are going on?  What are some blessings that are happening in your life? Adopt the attitude “if the Lord wills it, so be it” make plans, but hold them loosely.  View unexpected interruptions not as annoyances, but as the actual path for your day.  Trust God. Give thanks, because you never know what will happen in the next moment. Life can change in a moment!  So, enjoy.  For in life the unexpected always happens!  God Bless. Amen.

denise