Life is precious. I am reminded today of the importance of living life to its fullest. How important it is to say “I love you” one more time, or how important it is to say how much you appreciate that person you work with, or how important it is to tell that neighbor that “Jesus Loves You!”
This morning I had to break the news to a family that their son was a hero. That he had served his country bravely, and paid the ultimate price. For this family, it was their second loss in less than one year.
How precious is life. Scripture tells us:
Ps 103:15-16
15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
Job 14:1-2
1 “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.
2 He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
But Scripture also says:
Ps 139:16
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
I look at my family of eight (six children), and when I blink, they are another year older. My oldest is becoming a man right in front of my eyes. I am afraid to blink again. Soon I will leave them for at least a year, and when I return, I will have blinked again. But these are the days God has given me. I am more determined today to make the most of them; to laugh, to love, to cry, to say those things that need to be said.
Some of you remember that I lost both my grandmother and my father within three days of each other back in August. I blinked and they were both gone. I am glad however that I took the time to tell them I loved them. I am thankful I took the time to tell my grandmother about Jesus one more time. I am thankful for the days God allowed me to be blessed by their company.
As you live your days, live them to their fullest. Have no regrets. I leave you with one last quote. William Borden, heir to the Borden dairy estate, gave it all up to live his life to its fullest (Read Story). His story is summed up in this simply quote, “No reserves, No retreats, No regrets.” This is written in the flyleaf of my Bible. I challenge you to do the same.
Sobering and an excellent meditation. I shared this with a few hundred people today (seriously)…I hope you don’t mind. Among them are many with sons in the military and probably some with daughters, husbands, wives and friends in the military and even a few soldiers themselves, plus a number of veterans. I know they appreciated your words because they told me so.
Well said soldier and brother.
Chaplain Olson,
I just discovered your blog. You have some interesting insight. I appreciate your service and the way you share it through this website.
Currently, I am a pastor of a church. I have been in the ministry for many years. My wife and I are currently praying about joining the Army as a Chaplain. I have been torn between Reserves and Active Duty.
I noticed on this post that you have six children. Likewise, I have many children. Is it extremely difficult being away from the kids and wife for extended periods of time?
My greatest concern about Active Duty is how my wife will be able to manage. She does a wonderful job now, but during times of extended absence, I’m worried that task would be too demanding. How is your wife able to handle it?
My wife is always very supportive of the and is open to the Active Duty. I think that if she could become a little more confident about the opportunities and support within the Army families, we will move forward in pursuing Active Duty.
I would love any words of wisdom that you have to share. Stop by my blog if you get a chance.
Thanks again for what you do.