"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going."

Ecclesiastes 9:10

"Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away..."

Job 14:1,2

A couple weeks ago I was able to see the movie, Sparkle with American Idol alum, Jordin Sparks, and the late and oh-so-great, Whitney Houston. I had big expectations, though I didn't foresee it evoking any deep thought or life lessons. I loved it. (But, low and behold, the life lessons and deep thoughts flowed forth...)

There was a scene that really tugged on the heart strings, though. It brought tears to my eyes to see and hear Whitney sing, "His Eye is on the Sparrow." It was almost a surreal experience to see her larger-than-life image on the screen and to know that, just a few months after the filming of Sparkle had ended, Whitney was gone. Completely unaware of what the next few months held for her, she sang the song beautifully. Now I don't pretend to know Whitney Houston or anyone remotely close to her. I won't pretend to be so bold as to make any judgments on the life she was leading. Who knows what did or didn't take place between she and the Lord? I only know her as many other fans do, from a distance. But I think I can say with confidence that it was a sad day for many when the world found out that she had passed. It only shows itself as a sad reminder of the only surety we have in this life - that it isn't permanent.

Life is such a fleeting thing. A breath, a vapor. It's here in a moment and then so quickly gone. We've all heard "tomorrow is promised to no one" and that there is "no repentance in the grave." So what do we need to do? Whatever you know needs to be done, do it now! Who do we need to reach out to? Who do we need to mend things with? Who do we need to forgive? Every minute of every day is an opportunity. It's more time than you had last week, yesterday and even a couple minutes ago. What do you know in your heart of hearts that you need to do with this extra time?

Don't go off the deep end. Don't forget about taking the time to take time out. So often in life, we sit and worry about the things that are so unimportant. Lately, when finding myself with huge frustrations on my mind, I sometimes ask myself, "When I'm on my deathbed, is this issue going to be bothering me?" It's not to say I think we should forget about all our troubles, but I refuse to be majorly stressed over what I cannot change. But the flipside to that is taking care of things that are truly important to the quality of life for our families, friends and ourselves. We do need to concern ourselves about being good reflections of Him.