My Mom is 81 years old and lives at Oak Crest, a warm and friendly elder care facility nearby. Last night Oak Crest hosted one of their many family dinners which my brother and sister-in-law and I attended with my Mom. They played a game after dinner which required the residents to tell something about their past life and the rest of the group had to determine whether what they told was true or false. The false claims were pretty easy to identify. But the stories that were true, the ones that came out of a person’s actual life, were fascinating. One man had worked alongside my Dad (now in Heaven) building pianos for many years. Another had worked for the Navy as a meteorologist. A third, whom we knew as the long-time choir director for the local school system, had, in fact, once been a guest conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra. A woman remembered being in Washington D. C. the day an armistice was declared in World War II. The history in that room was amazing. But the bodies that lived that history and the minds that recalled it are all fading. Their stories made me think about the fact that we have a little bit of glory in this life, lots of responsibilities, and a few achievements. But the time comes when we set it aside and someone else conducts the orchestra, predicts the weather, builds pianos, and welcomes soldiers home. King David had it right when he penned these words:
We are challenged by the shortness of life, aren’t we? Challenged to value this life as a precursor to the real life that is yet to come. Challenged to wring the most out of the few years we have. Challenged to communicate to others some of the life lessons we have learned and are still learning. Challenged to live deeply and mindfully. “Selah”, David says. “Think about that.” As you look at your life at this very moment, what do you see? Are you living in this moment – not letting either the past or the future rob you of the joy of this day, this hour, this opportunity to engage life at its depths? Are you living simply so you can focus on what is really important: Loving God and loving others? Are you loving your life even when you suffer or are frustrated or angry? Are you reaching out to God who can comfort, relieve anxieties, and bring you peace? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to grow His fruit in your life so that joy begins to overflow? Life is fleeting, but life is good. Jesus has made it so! Our ability to experience an abundant life was the reason He came. He said it this way: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b). |
