As I write this I am looking out the window at this incredible view as the sun is setting upon the horizon. Believe it or not, but it is 10:10PM and there is still light glistening in the sky. I am listening to worship music as I contemplate the frailty of life. This view that I have out this window is so glorious. I live in the Northwest and there are so many trees. I can see the mountains buried in greenery, as God’s creation gets ready to close her eyes for the night. I have been so blessed to live in an area of the world where it still only takes a few minutes to get alone in nature and alone with the Lord.
Life is so short. It has been appointed for man once to die and then the judgment.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. We really do not have a lot of time given to us to dwell on this earth. And not only that but the earth is actually dying. It is not the same earth that our forefathers walked upon. The earth is sick and is dying. The earth is under a curse as we are also while we live in this fallen world. Why do we lose sight so quickly of what is important? The Lord is important. Family is important. Relationships are important. The other things are just so irrelevant in light of eternity. Yet they consume us.
So back to this incredible view, I have this wonderful view from the hospital window as my son Tobias lays next to me asleep in his hospital bed. He is ok, just a little dehydrated from (hopefully just the flu) all the vomiting over the last few days. As I got to the hospital this evening to relieve my wife she informed me that my grandmother was given 6 months to live. She has lived a long time, but at the end of the day, once she takes her last breath that is it. And we will all be in that place. We will all die. Maybe not today, but unless the rapture happens we will die eventually.
Life is just too short to not do the right thing and serve the Lord. And as I say this, I look at myself and see that I too am a man who needs to serve the Lord. Because the truth is that I have only been serving myself. God has been so good to me. I can remember crying out for God to hear my prayer to spare my son Tobias and he heard me. God heard me and answered. And though we are in the hospital now, I am so grateful for the last four years that I have had with my son.
I mean, in a sense this is borrowed time because we were told that Tobias was not going to live. And here yet, here we are four years later. Oh God is good. He really is. Should I be angry with the Lord because my grandmother is not going to make it? Is it God’s fault? No. God has blessed us. We are so blessed and though death really is devastating and horrible; it is a reminder of two things. The first reminder is that we were not created to die. This was not how the original creation was.
And secondly we have hope for what is to come. God has promised us that he will restore things back to what they were. Adam was in paradise and we will one day be in paradise too. He will and has defeated the sting of death. How can we get mad at God when he has in fact given us such a great hope? God has promised that he will resurrect those who are in his family. And when my friends and family breath their last breath, it makes me cling to the promises of God tighter. He is so good. I am so grateful that he has given me hope. I am so grateful that he loves me and cares for me.
He is so pure, loving, gracious, and merciful and yet he still wants to meet with and fellowship with me. Wow! I wish I could focus on Jesus in this way all the time. I mean I know I can, but I wish I would. Sin is so enticing and it keeps me from the One who love me. I have failed on my journey thus far but I pray that from today forward that I would practically walk and live out what I write. I know that when I stand before the Lord that I will have regrets and lots of them.
Oh God, I want to be in tune with you wholly. Please forgive me for choosing other things over the important things in life. The truth is that I feel so safe with you because you have declared that I am precious to you. I want to live I your embrace forever Jesus.
