Life: the Real Reality Show

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his own soul?"
Mark 8:36

     The sameness of life has a way of lulling us into a numbing pattern. Day in. Day out. Go to work. Eat dinner. You settle down into a nest of security until something happens to blow out the bottom of that nest, plummeting you to the ground.

     It was a typical Monday. My dear friend spent the day at the beach with her 27-year-old daughter. It was unknown to either of them that two days hence, her daughter would be killed in an abrupt accident. No chance to say goodbye. Too stunning for comprehension, this reality caused lasting wounds for my friend and her family as they were tearfully confronted with stark tragedy.

     The first day of school, a third grade teacher was happy to get a new year under way until the phone rang. Her father had been in an accident; could she come right away? The distressing news to follow was not good. She will be planning a funeral, too.

     It was a bright, sunny day for these two women, now walking in the valley of the shadow of death. How can anyone be prepared for such reality?

     Jesus came to abolish death. After laying down his life, he rose again and ascended into heaven to prepare a mansion for us. He has promised to come back again. For those who believe in him, they have become sons and daughters of God and will live eternally in a paradise where death, sorrow and pain are no more. All things will have been created new.

     What should we be doing in the mean time? Baptize your children. Pray with your friends. Study the Bible and claim the promises of God. Put on the full armor of God so you are prepared to stand against the evil forces. Be aware of your surroundings. Invest in other people with a loving interest. Forgive one another and love deeply. Avoid argument or acrimony. Live each day as if it is your last.

     My great niece is being baptized this weekend. One life ends and another begins. I promise to pray for her, that she will never forfeit her own soul in exchange for the passing fancies of this world but that she will walk in the way that leads to life. Eternal life.