At the end of our days, what do we want ricocheting through our brain? What are we left with when our hearing fades, and the light dims? What achievements will mean the most? Who or what will come to mind?
Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”
Passion for God’s Creation
I watched a documentary on the Len Foote Hike Inn on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. It is unique in that it can only be approached by hiking. I’ve had the privilege of hiking into the Hike Inn several times. It brought to mind how fortunate I was to experience God’s glory in nature. I’ve hiked thousands of miles of trails, seeing nature during all four seasons.
I’ve hiked the Ala-Too mountain Range with good friends from Kyrgyzstan, the northern Serengeti Plain, while in southern Kenya with a Maasi Chieftain and the Sierra de Lepaterique in southern Honduras. I watched sunrises and sunset, snow, wind, and rain. I once was lost in the Georgia mountains during a rainstorm when the trail became a stream—all those beautiful memories etched forever in my brain. The worst was more like a Dilbert comic strip than real life. My early experience as a Boys Scout has always given me the confidence to venture out.
End of Days
At the end of my days, when I sit in my wheelchair at the assisted living facility, I will recall the great outdoors. Nature is my eremos, my solitary place to commune with God. I’ll paint pictures in my mind of rugged mountain trails, breathtaking sunsets, and calm, quiet mornings with birds singing. I’ll remember God for what He made, not what we have done with His creation. My past will not be overcast by bustling offices, long meetings, or hurried schedules. It won’t be the titles I achieved, the deadlines I met, or the awards I received. It will be the peace, beauty, and tranquility of seeing God’s face through nature.
Job 12:7-10, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
I will also remember all the great people God allowed me to meet. The most amazing of them is the young people passionate about expanding God’s kingdom. I will remember their enthusiasm, energy, and thirst for life. My daughter has done a fantastic job of raising one of these.
At the end of your days, will you find contentment or worry? Did you do the right things for your family and loved ones? Are you confident that you will meet them again? Is your future laced with fear or longing?
1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Every Moment
All too many times, we think there is more time than there is. We put off important things to concentrate on the mundane. Eternity is such a big concept, and today is urgent. I know, as a parent, I become hijacked into believing that God needs me to raise my children. He doesn’t need me; He wants me to raise them to be Godly. After my passing, He will still guide them, just as He guides me today.
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things that don’t matter” – Francis Chan.
Every moment is a gift to be shared. God wastes no moment. Live not with just a sense of urgency; we can hurry into an early grave, but with a sense of intentionality that every moment has a purpose.
2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
Live with an intentional urgency until you run out of time. That is God’s plan for your life.