stamped in bold red letters

I've been told a time or two ten thousand that I'm morbid. I prefer, however, to consider myself one who thinks deeply about life. It seems silly to shun the thought- not like any man avoids it, right? You've heard the old adage "Death is no respecter of persons." So why pretend? I figure I'm kind of like a jug of milk... stamped in bold red letters with an expiration date. (Haha- maybe you prefer to think of it as a "best if used by" date.)

I watched a couple movies tonight... both of which made me think about "the end." One was fictional- Remember Me, the other was all true- Brothers Lost. The latter stands out more. It's a documentary of friends and relatives of those who lost their lives on 9/11, retelling their stories. That's powerful stuff! And for those of you who are convinced I don't have tear ducts- you're wrong! Promise.

Have you thought about it lately? What if it were you? What if it were me? Many of the guys who shared their treasured memories told of ordinary moments- the day-in-day-out, mundane stuff that most people don't give a second thought. The last good-bye. The last "I love you." The last joke. The last kind gesture. The last argument. If today were your last day, what would stand out in people's mind? If you knew today were the day, would you live it differently? There's a line in a Tim McGraw song... "someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying." Intriguing, eh? The reality is, though, we all have that chance EVERY DAY.  Life is unpredictable, and death all the more! The all familiar James 4:14 says "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." We don't know. We cannot know! It is what it is, yet by the same token... IT IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT!

One of the last questions fielded in the documentary was in reference to the grieving and moving on stages of loss. It was "Do you believe in God? (or "What do you think is next?") This was the saddest part of the whole thing! Not one of the men who shared their stories had any real hope of seeing their loved ones again. Many of them explained that September 11th was "proof" that a good God cannot exist. Some said the here and now is all there is and then it's over. Others said they'd all meet again in heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14 comes to my mind. "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe..." Praise the Lord for HOPE! There is something greater than me, my little world, and my little life... there is a great and awesome God out there Who has ordained all my days. He has prepared a place for me in His presence and I can be confident in such a hope. I do not mourn as others do!

I pray that I will invest my life in something that will outlive me. I pray that I'll live everyday for the applause of One. I pray that when the last page is turned, the story of my life will have been all about the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Oh Lord, make my life an Hallelujah!

for a little while
grace