Last night 28 of us celebrated our birthdays. And not one of us had our actual birthday yesterday. But you know what? Every person deserved to be celebrated. Yup. Actual birthday or not (and this case, not 🙂 ) all of the men and women I was with are the kind of people you hope you get to call friends. They’re the kind of people who make you better, who can see in your eyes when something is wrong, and who know just what to say to make you laugh. They’re Kingdom-bringers. They’re people with hearts bigger than Texas and dreams that will change the world. I am so, so, so very blessed to know these people. My time with them is very quickly coming to an end, so I enjoyed my night with them that much more.
And this then got me thinking about the importance of celebrating the people in our lives, especially those who we may see every day. Whether it’s family, co-workers, or friends, it’s easy to take advantage of the fact we get to spend a lot of time with certain people. It’s easy to assume we will have more hours, days, months and years with them. And God-willing, we will.
But there will come a day when we have to say goodbye, and I know I never want to think “I wish I had said…” or “I should have…” People are too precious not to hear how much they’re loved; by you and by the Savior. Let’s not take even one minute for granted. Even in those moments when we’re disagreeing or struggling to be on the same page, may our hearts never sway from the posture of love, honor and respect for each other. Every person is a gift; every person is a present to the world from the Father. May we cherish every moment we have with the people in our lives, and may you also be cherished the way you deserve. 🙂
