"When It's All Been Said & Done"

The 4 deaths this last week of some famous but diverse people got me to thinking about life & it's twists & turns. Ed McMann (TV show host), Farrah Fawcett (actress), Michael Jackson ("King of Pop") & Billy Mays (Pitchman) all lived lives that were a mixture of blessings & tragedy. There was fame & failure, health & illness, fortune & debt, relationships & estrangments, joy & sorrow. The first 3 had fame & fortune for many, many years on TV & virtually every radio station in the country. I vividly remember "The Jackson Five" beginning from my late elementary school days. The 4th one had fame come later, but they seemed to have all the world offers. It's an intriging thing how people choose to "spend" their lives. In the end they're just people who need the same Savior I need. I could easily give my views of other's lives, but a closer look at my own might do me more good.

No matter how much or how little money or fame I acquire, life is this mixture of ups & downs. I can surround myself with the finer things in life but that will only shield me for a time from some hard things. Some of the hard things in life happen because this is a fallen world- apart from God. And, sometimes joy or sorrow comes as a direct result of my own choices or the choices of the ones I've surrounded myself with. I've got one shot at living. There are a myriad of choices in loving, using talents & gifts & choosing who & what I want to be. There's so much joy, love & meaning through life to choose. There's also tragedy, sadness & heartache if I want to choose that course.

Yes, before I'm too hard on someone else, looking in the mirror is the thing to do. Before I get side-tracked on someone else's choices, I have to look at the way I "spend" my own days. When it's all been said & done, we all need Jesus. All of us.

"When it's all been said & done, there's only one thing that matters.
Did I do my best to live for truth, did I live my life for You?"

Blessings!