IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT

Last night I woke up to a piercing sound, a crying out in serious pain and suffering which scared me out of my sleep. At first I thought it was our toy poodle named biscuit, but as I listened to the sound attentively, I realized it was coming from outside the house. I ran over to the window and looked out into the dark of the night. The loud scream lasted for a few minutes and then total silence. It was the sound of an animal screaming out in intense pain after experiencing some kind of trauma.

As I thought about what just took place, it saddened me and in that moment I began to think about the meaning of life. Then I laid in my bed in the still of the night listening to the deadly silence that permeated the air.  I began to contemplate about how much we take for granted in the world we live in whether its nature, animals, people, or the resources on our planet. What’s it all about? God has blessed us with so much and are we really being good stewards to all he has entrusted to us?. Life is precious in all its forms and even though this could have been an accident I thought about that poor animal who wandered into the darkness unsuspecting that his fate would be set that night.

What did I learn from this experience is to appreciate and love life. It is a valuable treasure and as such it’s invaluable. I meditated in the still of the night for a very long time. As I turned to the word I came across this verse in Deuteronomy 30:19-20

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore chose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the lord your God, that you may obey his voice, and that you may cling to him, for he is your life and the length of your days”…

Life is fleeting and we all need to try to live everyday to it’s fullest. Let us focus on the things that really matter in life and not sweat the small stuff. Live as if there is no tomorrow and appreciate all that’s been given for life is truly a gift from our heavenly father.