First off, for anybody who is reading my article I would like to thank you a million times because it means the world to me that somebody is listening. This past year has been a roller coaster for not only me, but my family. In one year my family and I have lost someone very close to us, lost our dog, lost our house in a tornado, and got the news someone close to us is fighting a sickness. I couldn't even imagine going through these tragedies again without having God by my side. With him, I can make it through anything. So, once again Thank you all for reading my article/lesson.

This life we are living now is not all there is.

The bible says, "When this tent we live in- our body here on earth- is turned down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever." The bible simply calls your earthly body a "tent" but refers to your future body, in heaven, as a "house."

The day your heart stops beating will be the end of your body and the end to your time on earth, but it will not be the end of you. Death is not the end of you. Death is not your termination, so there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth.

There is more to earth than just here and now. Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production. You will spend far more time on the other side of death -- in eternity -- than you will here. Earth is a staging area, the preschool, or the tryout for your life in eternity. So stop living your life in regrets and living your life with a negative attitude. God has a plan and God has his reason for everything. Don't ruin this "tent" we are in now, because of a bad day or a bad week or even a bad month. Don't you know the saying, "You can't have a rainbow without a little rain." It's so true. Life is full of terrible things, but if you look past those terrible things you will find all the amazing things in life.

If you don't take care of your "tent," then you'll never have a "house."