“Bob” stopped in to his favorite coffee shop on a lovely summer evening. At 8:00pm it was still bright and warm, and many patrons were milling around, shooting the breeze. As he headed out the door, he bumped into a stranger, excused himself and tried to continue to his car. The stranger and his buddy took exception to Bob and a one-sided fight ensued.
Bob, a 28-year old father of two, has been in the hospital now for the last two weeks. They were able to save his life and do plastic surgery to fix his facial injuries. Bob is still very confused and disoriented. The doctors are hoping that eventually Bob will completely heal but the road will be long and hard.
Bob’s mother works in my agency. We aren’t close, but she is a sweet lady who is always there to help others. She and her mother have been by Bob’s side since that horrible night. What must it have been like for her to answer that fateful phone call that sent her rushing to the Emergency Room?
We just never know what is around the corner. In a blink of an eye, we could begin the rest of our lives. Will we spend it in the presence of the Almighty God, or forever in the torment of His absence? As quickly as the screech of breaks, the crushing pain in the chest, the slip of a surgeon’s scalpel, we could step into the hereafter.
On a lovely warm summer morning, it seems morbid to be thinking these thoughts. However, I believe that God does want us to consider the things that really matter. Not money or belongings, but our relationship with the Lord, our family, our friends and whether we have offered that cup of cold water to someone in need.
I recently watched The Bucket List and it reminded me that I do get my priorities messed up occasionally. I don’t always live in the light of eternity. Sometimes when I see the lives of those who don’t know the Lord, I wonder what will happen when they step over to the other side. What if they’ve never been told?
The Bible states clearly that we humans have no excuses. Creation around us screams the presence of an almighty Creator. Plus, He has placed “eternity in our hearts”. Our soul testifies within us that we are immortal. Long after our earthly bodies have come and gone from this world, our Spirits will live on. There is a part of us that knows this, whether we chose to accept it or not.
Do you know where you will be when you step from this life to the next? My prayer is that you will be in the presence of the Almighty God, and His Son who holds the keys to Death and Hell, so that you would not have to go there. He has placed eternity in your heart. Chose to spend it with Him.
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