Lingering on the Doorstep

Many of us like to think that we have years yet before us in which to fulfill a dream or finish a quest. This may be especially true during our younger years, but what happens when best laid plans collide with unforeseen obstacles? Through the years I have continued to jokingly tell my wife, Carolyn, that I planned to live past a hundred years old and if necessary, to drag her kicking and screaming with me.


As we grow older, challenges arise to such thinking as obstacles fall onto life's pathway. They come in many forms, but the greatest obstructions to longevity are generally health related. Recent changes in my own life elicit the prayer, "The troubles of my heart have enlarged; bring me out of my distresses." (Psalm 25:17).  Such words are not unfamiliar as reflection reminds me that "when anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul." (Psalm 94:19 NIV). God has always been present in my life, but these recent changes also disrupted my normal thought processes. Was my life beginning to wind down?

The question brings to mind opening line words from a Bill and Gloria Gaither song, "Hold tight to the sounds of the music of living." Is it enough to wind down while holding tight to memories and the present life? Will these suffice in themselves as building blocks for thinking that draws one closer to God? After all, within each of us lies an innate desire to experience longevity, especially with the promise of a better place. This is possible when we "Commit [our] works to the Lord, and [our] thoughts will be established." (Proverbs 16:3). Confused thinking will no longer exist for the person focused on Christ.

"Don't worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6,7 J.B. Phillips). Our ability to think and process thought is part of what makes us unique in God's creation. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). It is God's voice that calls us to draw near as the doors of this life are closing. The chorus of above mentioned song means more than cherishing loved ones here in this world. I see it as an urgent reminder not to linger on the doorstep in preparation of joining God's eternal family:

For we have this moment to hold in our hands
And to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today.

[Bible texts from NKJV except where noted]

 

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