Thanks for life

At lunch today, my daughter prayed "thank you God for this life, and for this great day..." I just thought it was so sweet and very applicable today because I just heard about a high-schooler committing suicide from our old church, and on the other side being so thankful for the life inside of me after feeling a small movement for the first time.

THE WORD:
"This is what God the LORD says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it"
Isaiah 42:5

I was thinking the other night that I was not being very consistent with taking my pre-natal vitamins and how it is strange that with so many laws, so much government oversight, rules from parents, employers, etc...that no one was really keeping me accountable to taking care of this growing baby inside of me. It reminded me that I still have lots of choices about how much to pay attention to things in life, how much to care, how much I value things, and the only person I am accountable to is the Lord, the one who gives breath and life to us all, and knows us before we live one day outside of the womb. I think of this sad situation with the high school girl, and know that she had some really great friends and influences in her life. I don't know any of the bad ones, but there must have been some- be it people, music, tv, computer, I don't know- but there must have been some to have an evil idea in her head to take her own life. (To clarify, I do not think of her as evil in any way, but any thought to take one's own life is evil because our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and God cares for each life that He created.) We all have positive and negative influences in our lives, and since no one knows our minds and hearts except God, He is the one we are accountable to when we choose which voices to listen to- the voice of truth or the author of lies. I know I believe a lot of lies about myself and my life that are put in my head by someone other than God, and I shouldn't. I need to remember that life is a battle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12). We don't like to talk about this in the world today, because it sounds really wakko, and makes people uncomfortable to admit what they are really thinking and feeling, but it is the truth, and we need to be prepared- this daughter of the King needed to be strengthened in the battle, but ended up losing her life.

PRAYER:
For Faith's family (terribly sad, ironic name). To continue to feel the same love and value for life that our Creator does, and to know how to empower and uplift one another in daily battles to protect and sanctify our lives for the Lord.