Life For Rent

I fear death, but what I fear more is dying. I’ve witnessed many people die slowly. Gradually. But I’ve never really watched them die. I’ve never watched anyone breathe his last. I also have never seen a dead body in real life. Even when my grandma died, I insisted I wasn’t shown her body. Because I’m scared of death, and what scares me more is dying.

Last Sunday, in church, when it was time for testimonies, a woman joyously announced that she had a testimony she wanted to share with us all. She started by thanking God for preserving her life from the first month of the year to the very last. I was paying little attention to her at the time, but when I heard her next sentence, “Even though I’m not standing before you with my baby today…… “, God, I was more than shocked!

This woman is someone I know very well. We used to be neighbours. Financially, she and her husband have always struggled to provide the needs of their three children. Still, you would never see her not smiling. Even after she lost her would-have-been fourth child (who died shortly after birth), she still thanked God in a way that made me feel guilty, and scared.

We’ve taken life for granted for too long. I’ve taken my life for granted for too long. The perfect — or close to perfect — lives we have today, we were given for free, and that alone has blinded us from clearly seeing how much life is worth. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that a single kidney costs Twenty-five Million Naira. Research on the worth of other organs, add them all up, and it would give you an insight on just how much a life is worth, and how valuable it is.

No matter how narrow, steep or soggy the road may be, never let it push you to back down. Never let a negative situation push you to take negative actions; make negative decisions; or, say negative things.

Never let your situation — good or bad — drive you to curse God or question His plans for you. Be thankful to Him. Always. Be thankful for the things you have, and be hopeful for the ones you don’t have. Be thankful for the things God has done for you; be thankful for the things God didn’t do to you; and be thankful for the things God’s yet to do to and for you.

On Saturday, it was her baby. Tomorrow, it could be you. The actions you take now would always echo in eternity. Don’t live a life — an ungrateful one — that’ll leave you with regrets in the afterlife.
Be thankful for the life you have now. It’s the most expensive thing ever! And it was given to you for free.