Many contemplative moments have come and gone following the recent passing of a dear friend. It seems that here, in this world, nothing ceases to exist as quickly as life. Regardless of the lead-up to the moment of transition, whether it be a long illness or a tragic accident that leads to instant death, massive change takes place in an instant. Life is there one second and gone the next.

In the blink of an eye, a living, breathing, thinking, loving and loved person ceases to exist in this world. Family mourns the loss and feels a strange and unfamiliar emptiness. An email address is removed from many computers. A phone number is removed from contact lists. Long-existing accounts of various sorts are closed. Clothing, some of which was worn for years, is donated to Good Will or thrown out. A car is sold, a chair is empty, a tooth brush is tossed into the trash, a garden is left untended, a voice is no longer heard, a hug is no longer felt and a pillow lays cold on its bed.

I once heard that if the totality of the universe's 14-billion-year history were to be condensed into a single 24-hour day, then the life of a man who is fortunate enough to reach one hundred years of age is represented by one six-thousandth of one second. A veritable instant come and gone.

All of this is enough to depress anyone. But if we hold in our hearts and souls the wonders of God's creation we can do nothing but rejoice. Our Creator has given us the gift of perception but we so often do not use it to perceive the many other blessings he has given us.

We conduct our lives on a ball hanging in space, the very existence of which depends upon an uncanny combination of conditions the odds against which are immeasurable. The sun rises, warms and nurtures us. Water, without which we would perish, abounds. Beautiful trees create oxygen thereby precluding suffocation. Rains come to feed our crops. Animals, birds, insects and fish that take on thousands of fascinating and beautiful forms are all around us.

Not only are we aware of these things because of His gift to us of perception, but we are blessed with an intellect that allows us to manipulate and change them in order to better our existence. We THINK. How wondrous is that? We build things. We drive amazing wheeled machines to and fro. We fly airplanes. We arrange sounds in complicated combinations that please our ears and make our feet want to do something we call dancing. Why do our feet want to do that? Our bodies are absolutely amazing. We build contraptions that take us into space and others that allow us to see objects that are light years away. Just think. How aware is a rock of these things?

The enemy often leads us into a depressed state by bombarding us with all of the negativities he creates in this world. He blinds us in many ways in order to have his way. Yes, life is a challenge. Yes, we will all die. But YES, God has also provided us with wonderful blessings which are the very essence of our existence. We need to remain aware of them, love those around us and praise Him for providing us with the opportunity to do so. Look around you. We are surrounded by His blessings. What a great six thousandth of a second we can have if we remember to do that.

When it became evident that he may be dying, my friend said to me: "If I live, I walk in this world for Him. If I die, I walk in Heaven with Him. Either way, I win." Now that is peace.

Praise God.

©2010 Gordon Neave

###