Jesus said to them,
“The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die, for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God.”
~ Luke 20:35-36
The other week, we watched the Warriors opening game of the NBA season versus the Spurs. They lost in a blowout. But midway the fourth quarter, many of the seats in the Oracle Arena were already empty. The outcome was a foregone conclusion – the Warriors would lose and they would lose terribly. We waited till the bitter end.
Great movies these days have fantastic endings you want to stay till the very end. And these parts usually usually come either as the credits are rolling or right after the credits. It is either a surprise ending, an unexpected final twist, a reprise of all the bloopers making the movie. It is what many fans stay on for and expect of truly enjoyable movies these days.
I sometimes feel like that about life. Sometimes, I feel that I have seen everything and know the rest of the story and I just want to move on to the next level. Okay this is life. I got it. What next? Let me get on to the after-life.
Sometimes, I feel there is still one last exciting scene just right around the bend, or an unexpected development that ties up all what has gone before, or the answer to all the questions I have been asking all my life. These thoughts can really thrill me and I want to stay till the very end, sometimes not wanting the story to end.
I realize that I can no longer influence people or events like I used to. But I love staying around. Even if it is just to run an errand for a son, take pictures of a daughter, scoop some ice cream for a grandson, watch a granddaughter dance, visit an ailing cousin, have lunch with some friends.
Life is not spent in only in boardrooms or in offices. It is often spent running around, sometimes aimlessly, with and around loved ones. Life actually is simple. We just love to complicate it.
Here is my simple prayer for today:
Take and receive, O Lord, my liberty
Take all my will, my mind, my memory
All things I hold and all I own are Thine
Thine was the gift, to Thee I all resign.
Do Thou direct and govern all and sway
Do what Thou wilt, command, and I obey
Only Thy grace, Thy love on me bestow
These make me rich, all else will I forego.