Keeping an Eternal Perspective
Will You Be Ready?
Just over four years ago, I experienced one of those 'wakeup call' moments. Sadly, the triggering event was the passing of my beloved father, which happened so suddenly. None of us were prepared for it. But that did not stop it happening. Four years later, I can't help but to ponder on whether we, as Christians, spend our years effectively preparing for that inevitable day when we too shall leave this earth. This might sound morbid to you but it pays to give the question some thought.
If the truth be told, had you asked me a some years back, I would have said 'yes' in a roundabout way. After all, I was saved, I go to church, I serve in church and so on. But if you asked me specifically about my God-given assignment that would been a different story. Why? Because like many of us Christians, I got busy with life, making a living, fighting to stay alive and at times, just trying to keep my head above the waterline.
On my journey, I discovered that when my focus was fixed squarely on these life entanglements, my assignment took the back burner. It's not that I did not hear the alarm bells or recognise when the Holy Spirit was giving me a nudge but life just happened! In your case 'life' might have been the kids, job, partner, illness, aging parents, disappointment, money worries but the result is still the same. We drift away until we have our 'wakeup call' moment which tends to give us a reality check and change our perspective of life. (PS: If you have never had such an experience, please don’t wait for it to happen first before you shift yourself into gear. Do something now)
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Hello, This is Your Life Calling
Dad's passing was like the phone ringing with the voice on the other end saying, 'Hello Gladys, this is your life calling. Time is running out….'. Yes, I am trusting God that I will live to a ripe old age but that is beside the point. None of us know the number of our days and there are Christians going home to be with the Lord a lot earlier than they planned. So we need to get on with our assignment - great or small. The enemy has done a great job of deceiving and distracting believers but we can make amends whilst there is breathe in us. Let's stop expecting God to understand what we go through. Trust me, He already knows. Was Jesus oblivious to the fact that coming to earth would be filled with hardship, rejection, suffering, pain, scorn and ultimately death? No! Rather, He set His mind to do the will of the Father who sent Him. Why? Because the bottom line is that’s why He came. Wouldn’t it have been strange if Jesus opted to continue along the lines of carpentry, deciding that His own desires were more important or He had to earn a living somehow.
But let's not get it out of balance here, God knows we need money to exchange for the things we need i.e. shelter, food, clothing, etc. And if we allow Him, He will make provision (Psalm 37:25). So isn't it high time we let God do the worrying about our lives whilst we focus on the job at hand (Matthew 6:25-33)?
Get Back On Track
Don’t wait till you wake up one day only to realise that a huge chunk of your life has gone. Get to work as we only have a finite amount of time left. If you feel you have lost sight of why you are here, seek the One who sent you. Just ask Him (Jeremiah 29:11). Draw closer and take some time out to reacquaint yourself with your raison d'être i.e. your purpose. You may want to throw in some repentance in there for wasting the time you were blessed with.
Next, its simple…get on with it. If it's not a full time assignment, ensure you incorporate it in your day-to-day activities and have some form of plan to move you forward. To motivate you, keep a visual or even aural reminder. For instance, I keep copies of each book I write close by me to remind me to keep writing. So what can you do to motivate yourself to keep pursuing your assignment? Do whatever it takes. Be bold and courageous because your assignment will require it (Joshua 1:1-9). Monitor your progress regularly and don’t let the enemy keep you in a spiritual stupor. Remember, the clock is ticking and time is running out. Get on with it and make Father proud.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Psalm 90:12, 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
