For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Romans 14:8

As we get older, it is easy to see that our life shrinks. As friends go to heaven, our contact list shrinks. As our kids move out, our need for stuff shrinks. As time seems to move faster and faster, each day shrinks. And that is awesome! 

As the familiar hymn states, “I’m but a stranger here. Heaven is my home.” As all this earthly stuff shrinks and eventually disappears, becoming but a memory, the One that is left grows bigger and bigger and with Him comes great joy. He is the One that has been the constant through both the growing and the shrinking of life! He is the One that will be there when your life shrinks to a single breath. He is the One that will be there when you “die to the Lord” and are raised to eternal life!

Jeremy Klaustermeier
Warrenton, MO

Lord, as my life shrinks, make Yourself bigger in it. Amen.

Reflect: Make a list of people you love that have died. Sing a short song of rejoicing for each one.

Read: Romans 14:7-9 and Galatians 2:19-20