The Cycles of Life

Imagine that you're visiting a newborn baby at the local hospital. What a time of excitement and rejoicing with family and friends! Yet under that same roof, others could be mourning the loss of a loved one. It seems ironic that these contrasting events take place so close to each other. The cycles of life are both beautiful and heartbreaking. That's exactly how Solomon talks in the book of Ecclesiastes. Even though Solomon was the wisest man ever to live, he still could not grasp the mysteries surrounding the pain of death.

To be born into this world means that one day your life will end. But for those who have a personal relationship with God, death is merely being absent from the body and being present with the Lord. As one tombstone reads, "Love Has No End." That's true of God's love for you. Reflect today on the different stages of life - birth, childhood, adulthood, death. Why do you think God has planned out these different phases of life? When you begin to ponder death, let it be an inspiration for the way you approach today and every day.