Day 23: New Birth

Today we will be celebrating the

BIRTH~DAY of our 3 year old grand~daughter.

And today we will be celebrating the

LIFE of

our friend who GOD called HOME.

BIRTH and DEATH,

both part of LIFE.

BIRTH and DEATH,

both provide NEW BEGINNINGS.

From the day we heard

"It's a girl",

NEW LIFE

began.

And

from the moment my friend said

good-bye to her husband,

when took his last breath

here on earth,

his NEW LIFE began.

BIRTH and DEATH.

DEATH does bring

 BIRTH,

 a BIRTH  

to a NEWNESS.

A NEWNESS of learning to live

without your loved one by your side.

Oh the EMPTINESS of DEATH.

And yes there is a JOY in DEATH,

when you know your loved one is dancing with JESUS.

But now there is NEW LIFE for those left behind.

My friend Anna,

whose hubby is now with the LORD,

has showed me how to LIVE.

She LIVE LIFE to the FULLEST,

celebrating her LIFE,

with THE JOY OF THE LORD,

by facing the obstacles that come her way.

Oh how she bleeds JOY,

for she chooses JOY no matter the battle.

Her precious hubby lived a lifelong heath battle.

And there she was,

living out the true meaning of

JOY.

J.ESUS O.NLY Y.OU,

as she LOVED on her man through it all.

Because she FACES her LIFE with JESUS.

She has a BE~ATITUDE.

Who is JESUS

in BIRTH?

JESUS.

Who is JESUS 

in DEATH?

JESUS.

For JESUS does not change,

but meets you right where you are

by giving you all that you NEED,

from the moment you let out your

first cry to when you will let out your last breath.

We all have a due date,

that the doctor sets for our arrival,

but the REAL due date is the date set by

GOD.

We all have an expiration date on earth,

that GOD holds preciously in HIS HANDS.

BIRTH and DEATH.

No one is exempt.

Both open doors to NEW LIFE.

One door is the sweetest,

 when you hold the NEWBORN in your arms,

a moment that is forever tattooed on your heart.

The other door is bitter sweet when you say your last good-bye,

to release your loved one into the arms of JESUS.

So today is a bitter sweet day for my hubby and I.

As we start it with saying goodbye to a friend,

and then singing happy birthday to our little 3 year old.

So maybe today is my BIRTH~DAY

embrace LIFE through the eyes of JESUS.

My LIFE and the LIFE of all.

For LIFE is a vapor.

I once was three years old, but now I am not.

I am the age that my mother was.

I am the age that my grandmother was.

I am the age that I thought was so old, and here I am.

LIFE is precious,

And

DEATH is precious.

So how do we manage both?

"So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable"*

(2 Corinthians 4:18)

From BIRTH to DEATH~

 "Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid].

 Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away,

 yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day.

For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]"*

(2 Corinthians 4:16-17)

 For

JESUS is IN BIRTH

and

JESUS is IN DEATH.

Because JESUS is FOREVER~

 "For to me, to live is CHRIST

 [HE is my source of joy, my reason to live]

and to die is gain [for I will be with HIM in eternity].  

If, however, it is to be life here and I am to go on living,

 this will mean useful and productive service for me;

 so I do not know which to choose

[if I am given that choice].

 But I am hard-pressed between the two.

I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with CHRIST,

for that is far, far better;

 yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake"

(2 Corinthians 415-17).

Hugs of prayers for Anna and her family today,

 as they celebrate the life of

Danny.

And hugs of prayers today for Mesa,

as she experiences the JOY of being three.

And hugs of prayers for you,

whether you are in a time of grief or joy,

for

remember that

JESUS is IN BRITH

and

JESUS is IN DEATH,

because

"JESUS IS"

(listen to the song below)