Tuesday February 9, 2010 Day 9

Today was Heart of the Matter.
Our investment in people is the only legacy that has the power to endure beyond our lifetime.
I thought about this statement all day. Its powerful and also so very true.
We were created for relationships and if we only had one month to live we would be more concerned about them than ever before.
If you have ever lost a loved one you kow how important it is to wrap up and unfisnished business than ever before . And that is if you had the privelege of getting notice . Some of us have to say goodbye when we least expect it. That's what got me to thinking, what if we treated our relationships like it may be the last day we would ever see that person?And it very well could be! We would have so much sweeter and more meaningful relationships. And the little stuff would not matter.
if you knew your time was short you would want to connect with the people in your life who you value most. You would want to give them the gift of time with you, to say all you wanted to say, and to allow them to know the real you.
My husband and I right now are in the process of losing a very dear friend who is terminally ill. I have done this a time or two before and it has never gotten any easier. This time we have no regrets. We have spent time with him, when he was well and when he was sick. We have loved him to the fullest, no holds barred. And are still cooking at times and taking the whole meal to them so that the family may spend time with him and instead of on mundane chores.
Most of us in our lives are so busy that maintaing relationships are challenging, even with our spouses and immediate families. We work long hours so that we can give our children things we did not have but miss spending time with them, which is what they value most. If we only had one month to live we would realize how much we need the people we love and how much they need us.Love can't be bought but it certainly comes with a price, it's called sacrifice. Love always means risking pain. Pain is a part of any significant relationship. I always say it's not IF you get hurt it's WHEN .
If we are going to love other people , to endure heartaches as well as celebrations, then we will need a greaterlove than our own.Most of us are totally oblivious of the great sacrifice God has made. He gave us His only son, who came and died for us , to forgive us of our past guilt, and to give us a future that includes heaven. As you think about what it means to sacrifice and love completely, you should first think about what God has sacrificed for you.
It's not that you don't love God enough , it's that you don't understand how much He loves you! If you could grasp just a little bit of how much God loves you , you would surrender all areas of your life to Him.
Make a list of people you would want to see and share your heart with if your time was limited and you only had one month to live. What steps would you take to reconnect with them and share your heart?