I love to watch a ball game that comes down the last play of the game! The interest and excitement level is so much better when a game can go either way and it comes down to one play instead of a boring blowout. If you are ever bored, you can also find lots of videos of accidents and near misses from the road or fails in the backyard. Accidents are never good, but if they remind us to be a bit more cautious and value life more, then they can help. After having a child born 2 weeks ago, I have already found that I take a few less risks while driving by myself and especially with family members along for the ride. The line between life and death can be fairly thin at times. Sometimes things that frighten us into realizing what could have been is a good thing, if it moves us to action, or to make positive changes. What was the last close call you had, and did it cause you to change anything in your life?
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2
We probably come close to big and small disasters each day, but may not even realize it. Just yesterday, after plugging my phone in overnight, it was dead in the morning and would not charge after trying 5 times through the day. I gave it up for gone, but tried a couple more times and eventually, to my relief, got it charging – small disaster averted, but eventually my phone will be done. A week ago I was about 2 seconds from having my fingers broken from being caught and twisted in an electric auger. I recall my mom telling me a story where she nearly wrecked in a car and sat and trembled for 30 minutes from the adrenaline (all before I was born). I’ve had a few close calls over the years as well. It does not always turn out so well, as the accident or medical report can easily be bad news. My 16 year old brother was killed by a drunk driver when he was a passenger in a car just 2 blocks from our house. All these things make us look at our own mortality, and maybe even help us re-prioritize how we are spending our lives, right now. What type of wake-up call would it take for you to change what you are doing?
And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11
Maybe the older we get, we better realize that our lives are moving pretty fast. I remember going back to where I grew up and sitting with my dad in the barber shop as he asked about people he had not seen for decades, and hearing that many of them had passed away. We take it for granted that friends and family will be with us indefinitely, but as we find out, this is not the case. Opportunities come and go and those we know and love pass away as well. Eventually, those we leave behind will be reading about us. How do you want to be remembered? One eye opening exercise is to sit down and write your own obituary. Try it! You can share it or tear it up if you like, but what verse or songs would you want others to sing after you pass from this world?
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14
How about when it comes to your faith, is that a close call? Can you imagine saying, wow, I just made it to Heaven by the skin of my teeth! If your perception of what it takes is a works-based, pop-culture, earn your way to heaven where one ‘good deed’ puts you over the top kind of deal, then maybe it would be a close call. If you are trusting in the forgiveness and shed blood of what Christ has already done for you, then it shouldn’t even be a question, no instant replay needed! Questioning your salvation should hopefully lead you to a closer examination of your life and your faith and eventually lead you to the truth. It is that truth, found in Christ, that makes us free.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Yours in Christ,
Clark
