Today is my birthday. I turned 36 years old. As one of my favorite sayings go,
“if I had known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
It’s a tongue in cheek way of relating that – much like those who have come and gone before me – my body is feeling the wear and tear that comes with age and my psyche is often more spent than it is roaring to go.
Regardless of how you may be feeling – whether it’s like me, whether is exponentially worse, or whether it’s infinitely better – I am compelled to share this message. I believe it to be relevant and one that could potentially change your life.
This morning, I was enjoying a new coffee blend my wife had given me as a birthday gift. As I did this, I witnessed a little squirrel scampering through my back patio. It was obviously collecting acorns and such in preparation for a long winter and the days that lie ahead. I took note because the squirrel was smaller than average and I don’t see many around my home any more.
It was a nice simple morning. But what does this silly squirrel have to do with my birthday and what is so life changing about it? Stick with me…
Lately, I’ve been observing the many untimely deaths of people younger than me or relatively close to my age. The pictures that accompany their obituaries are contemporary, yet the obituaries themselves read very formulaic and traditional in nature. It’s a testament to the sad reality of how a life is, more often than not, boiled down to just a couple short paragraphs and a list of surviving kin.
THIS IS NOT A MID-LIFE CRISIS
…and no, this is not a pessimistic view upon a mediocre life that has hardly yet been lived. Rather, this is a call to be and do more. To have an impact. To be significant. There’s a great tale about tombstones and the dates that are etched into them – you know, the date of birth and the date of death. Those dates are symbolic benchmarks yet they have little significance because it’s the dash in between them that carries the meaning of a life.
I bring this up because mere minutes after having watched that little squirrel scamper around my patio I walked outside to get the paper from our box across the street. At the end of our driveway was that squirrel. He’d been hit by car, his diminutive legs still kicking. I probably just missed the actual event. By the time I came back from getting my paper, all life had been extracted from its small body.
Not wanting the kids to see the squirrel lying in the road and not wanting to view the mess that would come with other drivers running it over, I went into my house, put the paper down, walked to my shed and grabbed a shovel. I scooped it up and disposed of it in my trash bin.
Simple experience sometimes usher profound perspective
Personally, I’ve been battling with the balance in taking care of the now while planning for the future. We get caught up in planning for retirement, storing up “treasures” here on earth. And now, there’s a movement afoot, brought on by economic hardship, drastic changes in our generational makeups and the manufacturers of products who stand to profit from panic.
The new television show Revolution, which comes on the heels of an underground-swell of sorts from short-live Jericho, is drawing in solid ratings. It depicts a time that is supposedly on the cusp of becoming reality – where we have no electricity and are thrust unto primitive means of survival. A time where we’ll be turning against one another for food, shelter and basic life essentials. Can that actually happen? Yes. Do I think it will? I personally doubt it. But it’s not up to me.
There have been many, MANY prognosticators over the years and they have staked claims that the end is near. I think specifically of Nostradamus, Y2K and the upcoming Mayan “prophesy” that suggests 12/12/12 will be the end of times.
Is the world coming to an end soon? Maybe. Maybe not.
There are two Bible passages that come to mind. On the surface, they seem to be in opposition to each other. However, in actuality, they both point to the sovereignty of God and the need for unquestioned faith in Him.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~ Matthew 6:34
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. ~ Hebrews 11:7
In Noah’s case, there were no visible signs of flood, yet Noah built an ark despite the naysayers. However, Noah, having been warned by God acted not in fear of his life. Rather, it was the fear of God. This distinction properly attributes Noah’s actions to faith rather than anxiety or fear of the unknown. His confidence was in God, just as Moses acted in faith when he built the tabernacle.
The future is known to God alone. To suggest we foresee the future, we display a lack of confidence in His sovereignty. Similarly, in taking precautions to secure and protect ourselves from that made up future, we are essentially spitting in the face of our Father. Anxiety is the result of an insecure heart and apprehensions of the future that are absent of faith deprive God of the glory He is due. Every passing day has trials. Fearing tomorrow while neglecting today is in full opposition to God. Let us live today for eternity, and secure all that is valuable when it is His time.
So, I ask again, is the world coming to an end soon? Again, I answer with maybe it is. Maybe it is not. I really don’t know. But I know two things for certain.
Number one, if it does, Jesus is coming.
Number two, life can end for any one of us in an instant.
That’s troubling, yes, but if it does, I know my eternal fate. Do you know yours? (psst… Click that link… this is the “life changing” part)