Archives April 2021

it carries a poignant message. It’s a message that resonates with those of us standing here on the other side of fifty…

I did not write this and I’m not sure who did – but it carries a poignant message. It’s a message that resonates with those of us standing here on the other side of fifty (and maybe before). This is the credit that came with the copy I have:

ETA: “Later” by Boucar Diouf

Barely the day started and… it’s already six in the evening.

Barely arrived on Monday and it’s already Friday.

… and the month is already over.

… and the year is almost over.

… and already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed.

… and we realize that we lost our parents, friends.

and we realize it’s too late to go back…

So… Let’s try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time…

Let’s keep looking for activities that we like…

Let’s put some color in our grey…

Let’s smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.

And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let’s try to eliminate the afters…

I’m doing it after…

I’ll say after…

I’ll think about it after…

We leave everything for later like ′′ after ′′ is ours.

Because what we don’t understand is that:

Afterwards, the coffee gets cold…

afterwards, priorities change…

Afterwards, the charm is broken…

afterwards, health passes…

Afterwards, the kids grow up…

Afterwards parents get old…

Afterwards, promises are forgotten…

afterwards, the day becomes the night…

afterwards life ends…

And then it’s often too late….

So… Let’s leave nothing for later…

Because still waiting see you later, we can lose the best moments,

the best experiences,

best friends,

the best family…

The day is today… The moment is now…

We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done right away.

So let’s see if you have time to read this message and then share it.

Or maybe you’ll leave it for… ′′ later “…

And you’ll never share it….

***

There are many words of wisdom. There are many words we think we will slow down and appreciate—after. I say this with sorrow because like the person who wrote the above words we come to this knowledge often times with bitter experience. And if not bitter experience it is with delayed knowledge and the realization that we’ve missed out on things we should not have missed out on.

***

Ecclesiastes 7:

10  Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

11  Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

12  For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

13  Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

So many thoughts have come and gone…

Psalms 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

It has been two weeks since my last blog post…So many thoughts have come and gone. Here is one from the past: I came to believe in Christianity from a family that did believe in God and Jesus they seemed to believe because Christians are humans and don’t live their faith perfectly there was something amiss with Christianity. They were hypocrites…

One point was: ‘How hypocritical one hour a week Christians’ are. I wish I could refute that but alas in some ways yes, they are right. As it is said by honest and dishonest Christians alike ‘I’m human, I fall, I’m broken I have problems’.

I attribute this to both the honest and dishonest Christian and the difference is the heart. The honest Christians actually try to overcome their humanity. They struggle, fall, rise to fight again. The dishonest never put in an effort to overcome, they use the ‘I’m just human’ as an excuse.

And there is something amiss not with Christianity but with our person and some people’s perception. As one preacher told a contact when the person said he couldn’t come to church ‘there are hypocrites at that church’, the preacher responded you can come on and worship with us there’s always room for one more (hypocrite).

We know there are honest and dishonest people at church, but there are also the same people in grocery stores, hardware stores, doctor’s offices and beyond. This fact doesn’t stop the ones who won’t go to church from buying groceries or anything else.

The question isn’t about hypocrites in the church it’s the hypocrite in people. People now are more likely to tell someone asking about church attendance they just aren’t interested. That is an honest answer…but not a better answer, just more honest.

Now the problem is someday we will all stand before the judgement seat and those who aren’t interested today won’t be prepared at the judgement seat but—what about today?

Look around at our world today. Does it make a difference today? We are seeing the evidence of a world ‘not interested’ in God or a godly life-style. Where the answer I’m not interested may be more honest the effects are the same. We see homes without fathers/parents and families without an anchor to guide their lives.

What have we replaced the one hour a week Christian with? Nothing, we replaced it with nothing. And having no spiritual replacement whatsoever has not made us a better society.

Even a poor struggling Christian with all of their foibles is better than what we have now. We have a society that has cast off any semblance of morality. One phrase I’ve heard from Jordan Peterson is ‘I always try to live as if I believe there is a God’. That mind set won’t necessarily get anyone into heaven, but living here as if there is God will make this world a better place and through a study and exposure to the Word of God possibly bring them to salvation.

Where is faith? There is an old bulletin board that reads: Sitting in Church doesn’t’ make you a Christian any more than sitting in the garage makes you a car. The down side of that is that at least sitting in Church will help expose you to scriptures and choosing the Church of God’s own choice will expose you to Godly teachings.

As one of those struggling broken Christians heeding the preacher’s admonition, Come on to Church with us there is always room for one more.

Psalms 46:

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.