Today many people woke up to death. It may have been the death of a loved one or the death of a cherished dream. But worse, it might have been the death of hope and faith. We are all dying. We began dying the moment we are born. There is a poem The Dash by Linda Ellis that illustrates that your tombstone has two dates, the date you were born and the date you died. Grandma Jessie's is 1921-2002. But that life is lived in the 'dash'. What's important is what you do while you live. "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name." Psalm 63:3-4 WHILE I LIVE, I am going to remember that God has a purpose and a plan for my life, no matter what it looks like right now. WHILE I LIVE, I am going to discover and embrace who God says I am. WHILE I LIVE, I am going to speak life to others and to myself. WHILE I LIVE, I am going to develop and deepen my personal relationship with God. WHILE I LIVE, I will speak what thus sayeth the Lord. Life is challenging in so many different ways. God never said it would be easy, in fact He said "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

So for now, today, right this minute... YOU WILL LIVE AND NOT DIE! And while you live, you have work to do. You have people to forgive (yourself included), you have prayers to make and worship to give. You only have right now to do it. Because right now, you are in the dash.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." Psalm 14:1-2

In love, Mona