Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. --Psalm 30:4

A young father sat cradling his infant born just three weeks before as a tornado ripped through Will County, Illinois. When the fierce winds had died down and peace was restored, the man's house was gone—and so was his baby. According to the news reports, however, the father discovered his child in a field near his house. Surprisingly, the baby was alive and well—and so was his family.

One reporter stopped by to cover the scene. She asked the young father if he was angry that he had lost everything he owned. The man replied, "No, I just thank God I have my baby and my family. Some people don't even have that. Nothing else is important."

Many times, it takes a tragedy to happen to remind us of what really matters in life. When things are going well for us, we can easily shift our focus to what we own. We can become obsessed and preoccupied with so many nonessential, unimportant material items—cars, houses, furniture, clothes, accessories, media equipment, and other trivialities. But when life is reduced to the essentials, our focus is brought back to the most important things and we realize that life itself is enough reason to praise God.

This season, you may not have many material items to claim for yourself, but remember what is most important. If you have your life and the lives of the people you love, what more could you ask for? Praise God for today and the people He's give you to share it with. When you think of all the "essentials" in your life, stop to thank Him.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for loving you, for your family and friends, and for the gift of life. Pray that He would help you live each day in light of this truth.

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