Death and Taxes

This sign makes me think of the way people tend to look at life. We have the tendency to Jump before reading the rules or the signs that are well placed to protect us. Then we are drowning we wonder where God is. He tried to WARN you not to jump.We can be certain that God will let us know when he is busy in our lives. We may not know why he is doing it but we know he is doing it. Isn't that comforting?

I always hear people talk about the two things in LIFE that are certain, death and taxes.

That is so BLEAK! BLAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I would hate to think that the ONLY things I can count on in my life are the end of life and the price of life. What about all that GOOD STUFF in the middle? I have been blessed to have some life long friends. They have been my friends so long they are now my sisters. We have endured every part of life together. I mean there have been times that we just sat together and cried because that was all we could do. We count on each other, over and over again. They will always be there, I am certain of that.

I remember when I started getting sick, I was so sad. I really couldn't function at first because I was lost in the WHAT IF'S and MAYBE'S of my future. I was not planning to share my pain with anyone. It took one conversation with one of my "sister's" and she knew something was wrong. I never even told her, she just knew. I am so blessed to have people around me that I consider my CAN COUNT ON CREW. They come in a pack or one at a time but they never fail me. Some of my dearest friends I only talk to through text or Facebook. They still lift my spirits, keep me going, and teach me what a friend can be even if you never see each other.I researched Death and Taxes and found that it has been the title of a novel, a movie, TV shows, etc,.... It originated in a letter from Benjamin Franklin to Jean Baptiste Leroy 1789 in which he wrote "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." It is first used a quotation in a play The Cobler of Preston" by Christopher Bullock.

It did not take long for this sad saying to catch on like wildfire. How miserable would life be if all we could be sure of was that taxes will exist and one day we won't exist. We have connections to each other that prove this quotation is false. There are many people on our lives that we can depend on. WE know for certain that they will support us and love us or we know for certain that they will do nothing at all.

If you trust in God and his Word don't you believe that you can depend on him? Aren't you certain that he is here and that his love is everlasting? What about your spouse? Your parents? Your siblings? Some old friends? Death and taxes are not certainties that we should look forward to.  There are other certainties in our lives that we should be happy about. The connection to other people through love and compassion is certain. Will it last forever? Well that is ultimately up to you.

We have to start taking the thorns out of the rose bushes. Once we do that then we can see the entire bush all on it's own. The beauty of it will be overwhelming. Life is this way. Do not ever feel like the only thing you can count on is death and taxes. You can count on the people you choose that have shown themselves worthy to be counted on.

Life is full of disappointments, so why start off the day feeling like nothing is certain? You are certain to be victorious in this race of life. Why? Because you believe it and God will make it so. If you do not believe in God then you are certain to make it because you believe in yourself right? We have to be certain of something besides death in order to live each day and function from moment to moment. So we know that the quote, "death and taxes" is just that. It is a quote, We are smart, we are wise, we are capable of deciding what in our lives or who in our lives we can depend on. That is how we develop routines.

If there is anyone that feels like they can only count on death and taxes, I am speaking to you. You can count on yourself. You can count on someone in your life and if they have proven that they are not definite or constant then you move on up. You can count on God. You can trust that he will fulfill each and every promise that he has made in his word. There actually are tons of things that you can be certain of. I am certain each day that I will fight the good fight. I have faith that I will win but I am certain I will fight. I say we just start seeing the world as the opposite of the quote. It should be "the only thing certain in life is there will be many certainties." That is an optimistic view.

Yes death will one day come but I am not certain of when. Taxes will be paid but I am uncertain how much. At the end of a long day I am not concerned with either of those. I do care that my family loves me and of that I am certain. I care that my children need me, of that I am certain. I care that my friends and I love each other of that I am certain. I am sure my husband needs me, of that I am certain. And I am positive that God's love and mercy carry me day to day, of that I am certain.

Death and taxes will take care of themselves but we should certainly enjoy everything in between