Sunday’s Food for Thought : About Time, Love and Life
Recently I read a eulogy written by a husband of a 39-year-old woman who died of cancer not too long ago. They had three small children.
As I read it, I couldn’t help but think,
how it could’ve happened to me too.
It could’ve happened to a good friend of ours.
It could’ve happened to anybody.
Because as much as we’d love to be in control of our lives, we can’t control how much time we have in life, can we?
We can’t control how our life will end, and we can’t know how long our ‘time’ will be.
Having said that though, I’m reminded of how we can however control how we’d want to live our lives, and how we’d like to contribute to our family, and be a blessing to the society.
Life is definitely short, but we all have 24 hours in a day.
Let’s use the time we have right now, for things that matter.
Even better, for things whose values are eternal.
[Shot by hubby, with iphone ]
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Umm, I thought I should also share this …
In that eulogy, I read this quote below. It’s by Henri Nouwen.
Love and the Pain of Leaving
Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. The greatest pain comes from leaving. When the child leaves home, when the husband or wife leaves for a long period of time or for good, when the beloved friend departs to another country or dies … the pain of the leaving can tear us apart.
Still, if we want to avoid the suffering of leaving, we will never experience the joy of loving. And love is stronger than fear, life stronger than death, hope stronger than despair. We have to trust that the risk of loving is always worth taking.
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Love the quote above, because I’m reminded of how Christ loved us first, even when we’re still sinners. Even when we’re still struggling with our sins today.
He loved, and he was willing to suffer for those whom He loved.
I’m unworthy, and yet loved.
I’m amazed.
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Let’s have a great week filled with love and thankfulness, shall we?
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Halo ci Leonny,
Just had the time to go to the blog and actually post this. When I read this blog post from google reader, I was reminded of the verse from 1 John 4:7-20 (it was from the sermon on my friend’s holy matrimony).
God Is Love
7) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8) Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9) In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10) In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13) By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14) And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16) So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17) By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19) We love because he first loved us. 20) If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
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The v.18-19 is the most remarkable one, as it assures us (Christian) of the perfect love that God has shown to us and how is that enable us to love. And as the v.18 said, “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” and in the v.19, “We love because He first loves us”.
Our God is a great God. Hope my sharing can be a blessing.
goei.shimon
Thanks for the reminder, Ci. My grandpa just passed away two days ago. My family is grieving and yes I am sad for his loss, but it is indeed a reminder how our lives are in God’s hands and we have no control over them. But we CAN control how we want to live our lives. Because not only it is pleasing to God, but living a meaningful, Godly life will leave a legacy that will bless family and friends.
So true! Oh can’t remember if i told u already – but i love the new look!