*Follower of Christ Friday* "It's a Gift"

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Do you like pens? Boy do I!  I confess that I am a pen snob!  I have tons of them, but they absolutely have to write well, or its 
a no-go.  I can’t help it. Wonderful pens that write smoothly in various colors make me happy, especially when I use them in my planner.  

As I was writing in my planner, which I do daily, I realized this year the month of February has 29 days in it.  Something, as you probably know, doesn’t happen but every 4 years. Naturally, since I am an over-thinker the only thing for me to do was to think about the significance of what this means.  It went something like “Wow! Another day…that means an extra 24 hours, an additional 1,440 minutes, that’s 366 days this year instead of 365.” 

My brain continued—-“So what do I do with this realization? Should I do something special to commemorate the day? If so what? Throw a party? Maybe something adventurous? Maybe cross off an item on my bucket list?” “It’s a gift!”  You get the idea.  

It’s not every year that we get an extra day. . . right? But then, this new realization pushed me towards a deeper truth than just a need to celebrate a day on the calendar. 
Today…the one I am in right now… is a gift.   

In fact, Every.  Single.  Day.  I live IS an extra day. 

When I went to bed last night, I was not automatically guaranteed to open my eyes this morning. 
I was then reminded of the wise words in James 4:14-15 “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. 

We truly are NOT promised tomorrow, so why do we live like we do?”

Friends, can I confess, that I am terrible about taking tomorrow for granted?  I am guilty of not doing the things I need to.  I squander the opportunities to tell friends and family what they mean to me.  I am still learning to be more grateful for what I have rather than grumbling about what I don’t.  I am trying to live more in the moment . . . being intentional about what I am doing at that specific time, and how to be PRESENT right then and there.  THIS. MUST. CHANGE! 

Shall we commit to God and each other to live each day with intentionality? Let us now take advantage of those opportunities to love others, and to soak up every single drop of the day’s blessings.  And, as we anticipate with hope, the ability to have the gift of tomorrow, let us live today with such a purpose that when we close our eyes to sleep at night, we have zero regret. 

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12


Today is a gift!  What are you going to do with it? 





Brandi Bell is the wife of Doug Bell and the mom to three amazing boys; 
Paxton, Cooper, and Jarvis. She and Doug have been married for almost 19 years, 
and since 2005, have been serving as Worship Pastor and Senior Pastor at
CrossPointe Church in Olive Branch, MS. Day to day you can find her homeschooling
 her boys, surrounded by music, enjoying planners, good writing pens, and coffee. 

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