Life is....

Recently my colleague was admitted to hospital for chest pain. It was an excruciating pain with cold sweat and cold hands and feet. The diagnosis was Acute Myocardial Infarction, which in layman’s term is heart attack. It was really a shock to all of us in the office as he is only 44 years old with no history of high cholesterol level or hypertension. Neither is he a diabetic. He is an active person who jogs regularly. Fortunately the attack was not life threatening and he did not have to go for any operation but was put on long term medication.

That incident sets my mind to think. If that can happen to him, it can happen to anyone. Life is so fragile and we have no control of it. It is God who gives life and He is the one who takes it away.

The question now is: Have do you live your life knowing that life is so fragile?

The incident has also changed the whole perspective of how my colleague lives his life. From the moment he was discharged from the hospital, he quitted smoking completely, take life easy and living life at a slower pace. He appreciates every moment he is alive. The sound of birds singing and every flower that blooms are so much more meaningful now. They used to pass by unnoticed. The rat race has no meaning now. The family has become his first priority. Every second spent with the family means a lifetime of joy to be treasured.

Do we have to wait until such tragedy strikes to wake us up from our deep slumber? Are we living a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise? Even that does not guarantee us long life. Have you got a destiny in life? Have you ever asked yourself this question, "Why do I exist?". Have you ever wondered what is the purpose in your life?

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”

Here is a story about John 3:16 I have read in an email.

A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold.The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said,"Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you ? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there for tonight.Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let you in."

So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, and a lady answered.

He looked up and said, "John 3:16 ."

The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16 ...I don't understand it, but ! it sure makes a cold boy warm.

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry ? "

He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I guess I could stand a little bit of food,"

The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16 ...Boy, I sure don't understand it but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ...I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out.

The lady came in and got him. She took him to a room, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night, he thought to himself: John 3:16 ...I don't understand it but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning the lady came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate, she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face.

"Do you understand John 3:16 ? " she asked gently.

He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it,"

She opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus . Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16 -- don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God was willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't understand the intense love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. I don't understand it, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Author Unknown