CONSIDERING WHAT IS
MOST IMPORTANT
Last week, while driving alone on the Merritt Parkway, I had a terrifying experience. Armed with happy thoughts and a carefree
mindset, I proceeded northward, absolutely unaware that my health was on the
verge of a sudden and radical change.
With no pre-warning symptoms whatsoever, I suddenly became quite dizzy
and disoriented, feeling sure that I would pass out before being able to stop
my car safely. While driving in the slow
lane, I gradually veered further to the right, unable to control my car. And there was no room to pull over. All I could do was to THINK (I’m not sure I
said it out-loud), “LORD, HELP ME!”
Thank God that I was
able to make it to a nearby exit without harming myself or others. Thereafter, I was taken to Yale-New Haven
Hospital, which was experiencing a tidal wave of persons needing emergency
care. As a result, I stayed in the
emergency department for more than two days.
Shall I say “discomfort” and “frustration?” Well, I’ll try to avoid the temptation to
actually verbalize those sentiments. Oops,
I just did!
On a serious note,
while in the hospital, I underwent several diagnostic tests, including two MRIs
and an echocardiogram. It seems that I
did NOT have a light stroke, as originally thought. However, my hospital stay opened the door for
some very deep spiritual reflection. I
thought a lot about my family, my ministry and my personal relationship with
the Lord. And here is the scripture that
the Lord laid upon my heart:
James 4:13-14 (NKJV)
Come now, you who say,
“Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there,
buy and sell, and make a profit” – whereas you do not know what will
happen tomorrow. For
what is your LIFE? It is even a VAPOR that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away.
Bottom-line: No matter
how many funeral services you and I have attended, that casket and that burial
plot somehow seem to be for the ‘other’ person. And even while we experience powerful pains
of loss and grief, we typically see our own departure as far off and
distant. ‘He had an accident, but I am
careful.’ Or, ‘She had cancer, but that
doesn’t run in my family.’ Even as we
age, our minds (and our very powerful imaginations) allow us to ‘see’ ourselves
as that young girl who once was a track star or that youthful guy who was a
gridiron standout. We age gradually (and
hopefully gracefully), but even as our bodies undergo the sure and swift
transitions of time, our minds may remain unaffected and unaware of the
realities of change.
In December of 2018,
my family lost our eldest sister, Wilma.
She was only the second of ten siblings to pass away; Dwight left us
more than sixty years ago due to injury and infection. And none of us can know who will be
next. Consider this: Mortality tables
suggest that I, the youngest sibling, might be among the ‘last’ to leave this
mortal plain. However, our departure
dates are not determined by any statistical calculus, but by an all-knowing and
all-loving Creator. We can leave here
anytime – at all ages and stages.
This sobering fact
leads us to a mission critical question: What’s
most important? Surely, it’s not
the things we will leave behind. We’ve
never observed U-Haul trucks in the cemetery.
Property and possessions never accompany us into eternity. And, all too often, they become the seeds of
disagreement and disengagement for those we have left behind. No academic degrees or certificates of
earthly commendations will be forwarded into eternity. Never forget.
Although throughout life we might accomplish more-and-more, those achievements will be remembered
less-and-less as cumulative years fade the details and dates of our demise.
So,
what is most important? My dear mother, Mary Watts Bass, loved to
sing “Only What You Do For Christ Will Last.”
I can clearly hear her beautiful voice now, and I can see the serious and sincere expression on her face as she offered a timeless reminder of that which will
actually endure. It’s etched indelibly into my
heart and spirit: “Only What You Do For Christ Will Last!”
As such, my personal
conclusions about life’s priorities net out to this: LIFE IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. Think about it. RELATIONSHIPS. That’s why God needed Adam. That’s why Adam needed God. That’s why Adam and Eve needed each other and
all their future dependents.
And that’s why we must
(at all costs) avoid wasting one more day, one more hour, or one more minute
holding tenaciously to adverse experiences, negative thoughts, or unforgiving
spirits. Christ is all. We hold
steadfastly to our faith in Him. Family is next. Our love and loyalty to our spouses,
children, grandchildren, siblings, etc., shall never by diminished or sidelined
by the pursuit of any other thing.
As a ‘side-bar’ to all
my ministry colleagues: God never requires that you subordinate the love and
care for your spouse and family to the daily demands of your ministry. After all, our charity begins at home before it
can be authentically spread abroad.
It is a signal honor
and a pleasure to love and to serve my family – and all of you, the people of
God.
No comments:
Post a Comment