Day 2 "The Temporary Nature of Life"

When I was just eight years old, my mother took my brother, Scott, and I to the New York's World Fair. The year was 1964. Following our time there, we proceeded further north to visit the mighty Niagara Falls. The volume of water flowing over the falls was spellbinding, tremendous to behold! The deafening thunder of water cascading to the bottom hidden by the swirling sprays of mist etched a memory in my mind that has lasted a lifetime. Yet, as great as these moments were to behold, nothing would affect my life or have such a long-term impact on my life as visiting the nearby wax museum- in particular, the chamber of horrors in the basement.

Now I grant you, taking two boys ages 8 and 10 through the chamber of horrors was probably not my mom's greatest idea. But as far as my brother Scott and I were concerned, we were perfectly alright seeing a few cut off ears and a few mutilations. (Boys will be boys) And then it happened! Halfway down the hallway I turned around to see what was on the other side. When I did, I found myself looking directly into a graveyard scene in which two grave robbers had dug up a coffin and the decayed corpse within the coffin was openly visible. I started to bawl! Not just small tears. But BIG ones! Now, to most of the people in attendance that day, they probably questioned the logic my mother may have used in bringing these two young boys down into this basement. But no one could have seen or believed what was going on in my head that very moment. For what I had come to see and understand was far beyond the physical appearance of a decaying corpse lying in the coffin. What I saw that day was my own mortality- my life would one day cease to exist. It was as if someone had turned over a large sand hourglass representing my life and each grain of sand dropping was another second of my life passing by. I was helpless to stop it or slow it down. I suddenly realized that not only was my life temporary, but so was everything else around me. It was a monumental emotional moment for this tenderhearted boy of just 8 years old to experience. The innocence and lightheartedness that should have been mine for a few more years suddenly left me. And in its place, a somber seriousness settled in like a dense fog with no where to go.

My mother hurriedly got my brother and I back outside and tried to console me. I think she was really taken aback when I told her what was upsetting me. Most people don't attempt to tackle such an issue until much later in life, like in their fifties or sixties. Here I was only eight. My mom shared with me a little bit about this idea of heaven and that life simply didn't end when we died here. "Life does go on," she encouraged me. Although not fully understanding the subject matter that she was trying to share with me, I grabbed on to enough of what she said for my despairing heart to be encouraged and have some hope. For now, it was enough to stop the tears.

I am pretty sure that at one time or another you will grapple with the concept of your own mortality and struggle to cope with it. Some, will live life as if there is no tomorrow and squeeze out every moment of life that can be lived. Perhaps, selfishly and wildly. On the other hand, constructively and benevolently. Some will fall victims to addictions and self destruction in what seems to be a world of no hope or purpose. Others will fall in line with the status quo and pursue education, career, marriage, family, retirement in their pursuit of the "American Dream"- all the while life and time still stealthily and steadily passing on by. And the rest of us, we too, will find one way or another to try to make sense of the world around us and seek to find our purpose within it. Much of our efforts stemming forth out of a worldly point of view and mindset.

But what if there is a better way to go through life? What if we could go through life with a faith and hope that brings inward joy, despite our present-day circumstances, stepping outside of our worldly and finite mindset, and see everything anew from an eternal, non-temporary point of view? Jesus Christ continually pointed us in this direction. Often speaking of His kingdom to come, Jesus downplayed our attention and effort to this world, and encourage us, instead, to set our minds and hearts on things above. Consider the following verses written by the apostle John, one of Jesus' close disciples.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- comes not from the Father but from the

world. The World and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives

forever."

1 John 2:15-17

Most of man's inhumanity towards one another has come at the hands of man struggling to find purpose, fulfillment, and identity for himself. Imagine, then, the futility from a worldly point of view to discover direction and answers to these issues when we, ourselves, live among a sea full of self-centered, insecure people, including ourselves. Each of us struggling and seeking to find our purpose and value from one another. When you are able to look at the world from the viewpoint not of this world, it really begins to highlight the craziness of it all. No wonder the phrase "human nature never changes" seems to ring true for every generation. It seems as human beings, we are predisposed to drama. But Jesus calls us to cast aside our egos and self-centered nature in order to take hold of a different mindset and experience a new life which is focused on loving and living a life that is eternal- that which is non-ending.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My

Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, you I have told you that I am going

there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back

and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

John 14:1-3

Jesus spoke from an eternal perspective to his disciples- disciples with a worldly mindset who had long been awaiting a Messiah to set the Jewish people free from the Roman oppression and set up a new kingdom here on Earth, a kingdom in which these disciples aspired to play a vital part in Jesus' kingdom. But Jesus' purpose would turn out much greater and grandeur than the disciples could ever have imagine. Jesus spoke not of this world, but of the one to come. But for now, Jesus spoke to their hearts with a new purpose and direction:

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 4:19 (NIV, 2004)

Why is it that we give so much importance to those things in life which are so temporary in nature? We stress out and obsessed over our relationships. We watch hours upon hours of reality shows on TV confirming our never-ending thirst for drama and relationships, and perhaps finding little meaning and purpose in our own lives. So, we await with bated breath for the next episode to unfold and the next plot line to be revealed as if reality, itself, was unfolding right before our very eyes! Yet, in reality, the shows are merely orchestrated by their writers and the actors merely a script. Oh, what an emotional rollercoaster they can take us on! And we let them! Reality shows and television series will come and go. But our lives will continue on. Sometimes, we see entertainment as life and see life as entertainment, as we struggle to find direction and purpose for ourselves, letting others lead us along in the void.

Like the invitation extended to Jesus' disciples to come follow him and find purpose for their lives, we, too, are extended the same invitation today. Jesus described himself as the bread of life and source of living water and that anyone who comes to follow him will never be hungry or thirsty again. If you find yourself struggling through this life without a sense of purpose, feeling alone and rejected by others, then I invite you to see life anew from a new perspective- from God's. Read for yourself what Jesus Christ said and how he went through life. Read the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible. Ask God to guide you in your understanding of who He is and ask Him to reveal to you His love for you. Perhaps you will discover as I did, that God is for us, not against us. That, itself, has the makings for a great day! But when you discover the reality of God and of his desire to want to interact with you personally, then the dots of your life begin to line up and you are on your way to discovering great purpose for your life.

Hang in there. Your journey is just getting started.

See you tomorrow.