One Bite Too Many

Food allergies are real to me.  Maybe a little too real.  As I have gotten older, the worse the reactions have become.  The allergens, food, and now non-food, work quickly and wreak havoc on any inkling of plans I may have for that day when they arrive.

If you or someone you know has severe allergic reactions, you know all too well the importance of acting fast. You must navigate medications and a plan quickly. Sometimes all you have are seconds.  One bite can be too much.  One sting can be enough.  One drop is all it takes.

These moments have reminded me to be thankful.  I’ve had one too many close encounters lately.   Moments in which you truly feel as if life flashes before you in a non-cliche way.  Moments that when you look back you realize that if you had not had A, B, C, or D, things could have been very different.

I’m reminded just how precious this life is that we have been given.  That I have so much to be thankful for.  Each breath we are given is a gift.

If there’s a positive in scary situations, I’m learning to realize how God always has our best in mind.  It’s no joke when we are told NOT to worry.  To focus on today and to be thankful for what we have.

I often imagine God as if we were sitting together rocking in those Cracker-Barrel rocking chairs, in front of a warm and cozy fireplace.  Sharing conversations and talking about life.  I often imagine during these conversations I would be challenged to be thankful for this life that I have been given.

I imagine I would be challenged to focus on today.  To focus on this moment I have been given.  To not spend time stressing about tomorrow, or what may or may not happen.

I’m amazed at how moments after a reaction I am truly humbled.  I’m humbled and grateful.  It’s in those moments that I was scared of losing my life, that I became truly grateful for it.

I don’t know what you’re facing today.  I pray you haven’t had a life or death moment, but maybe you have.  Maybe you’re doing awesome, or maybe you’re praying for a breakthrough.

May we all seek to live each day grateful for this life we are given.  God has a plan for your life just as He does for mine.  I don’t want to wait for eye-opening situations like an allergic reaction, to finally be thankful for this day and this life.

James 4:13-15 - Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”