Facing Mortality

I am raising teenagers, and I remember when I was a teenager, that I thought I was immortal. Okay, not really. But we (my friends and I) really did not think that anything bad would ever happen to us. And you know what.. it didn't. We were blessed, and we all grew up unscathed.

As a mom, I see my children follow in those same foot steps. They really do not believe that anything bad can happen to them. Sure, we have seen some pretty tragic things happen within our own extended family and friends.  We even have health trials within our own family unit. My oldest son battles epilepsy and has his entire life. And 3 of my other children also battled epilepsy as small children. So, really no one in our family has any business taking anything for granted, and feeling like they are 'immortal'.

As Christians, we are taught that we ought to live life expectantly. Expecting the return of our Savior, expecting our everlasting eternal home in heaven. And I believe that I do, and when thinking about eternity, I am not afraid to die. I know where my future holds for me. With that said, I do not want to die.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a very scary experience.  I was not feeling well, and hadn't been feeling well for some time, and it was reaching a crisis point. So, I headed over to the Urgent Care. When they laid eyes on me, they knew I was sick. And they were right. It turns out that I was very anemic. I KNEW that I was anemic. I was taking iron daily, trying to build up my iron. However, what I did not know, is that my iron level was dangerously low. It was a 3.3, the normal range is 12-16.

It was explained to me that I was going to need a blood transfusion, actually 4.  My body only had 25% of my blood volume left in my body. The doctor explained to me that if I was a man, that I would have been dead. And I was very close to being found dead myself. Talk about an eye opener.

Thankfully, aside from my anemia, I am a pretty healthy person. And while I was in the hospital, the staff, were questioning me about pain, and my ability to stand and walk.  I had no pain, I was able to stand and walk. They tested my heart, and my heart was fine and I attribute that to the fact that overall I am healthy. For that I praise the Lord.

With that said, it was a very scary time. I know that the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear. However, when you realize, that you were very close, to not having that life that the Lord has blessed you with. That it could have been gone in a moment. It really does begin to put your life into perspective.

What reminders have I learned? You know when my father died (at a too young of age) and my cousin passed away at 34 years old, I realized that you must cherish every single moment of life. But like most things in life, as time goes by... it has been ten years... you begin to allow life's busyness to cloud your perspective.

I have been given a reminder front and center. What if  I was not here to teach my children, to finish raising them, guiding them, and then to  watch them as they set forth on the path that God has for them. Now, I know that our days our numbered.  However, I am thankful that my number is not up. I am thankful that the Lord has given me more days. I don't know how many more days I am going to have. Whether it will be few or many, but what I do know, is that I am going to live everyday glorifying and honoring my Lord and Savior. I am going to live my life not taking my children or my family for granted. I am not going to live my life taking my ministry for granted. My ministry to my family and friends and those around me.

If my circumstances had gone differently, if I had  not survived, I would hope and pray, that my family would find peace, in the knowledge that I have a relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. Do know Jesus Christ as your Savior?

I encourage you to learn more about the free gift of Salvation that Jesus Christ has provided for you.
Visit here and download this small ebook DONE, by Cary Schmidt. It is a very easy read, and will help you understand what Jesus has done for you, and that He loves YOU!

Trust in Jesus, and love your family everyday. When your number is up, there are no do overs!