Time After Time

I caught myself the other day, looking out the window and wishing the snow fall would soon be over.  Indirectly I was wishing for the time to disappear because I knew there was two more hours of the white stuff in the air. Okay, wishing my life away. Now that I’m ‘at a curtain age’ I also find myself asking, ‘where has the time gone?’ And also wishing, 'I wish I had more time'. Have you done that? With one stroke of the pen, wished your life away and with the next stroke realized that time is passing and for some, life is passing you by and you can’t do anything about it.  Or can you?

This reminds me of an article I ready a couple of years ago. Or was it ten years ago. Doesn’t matter. It read that baby boomers never looked far enough into the future to ever think they would reach retirement age. Well, guess what? We’re Here!

Another line we are told is to make the most of the time we have while others tell us to take time to do the things that are important to you. Maybe I’m strange but I don’t remember any dates of life changing moments in my life. Dr Phil calls them ‘Defining Moments’. Can’t tell you the year I had my open heart surgery, or when I finished my education or even when I finished working at Ford. They are a blur in the annals of my life.  The thing is, I do remember the moments. But for me, the date is not important. I’m only speaking for myself.

Here is what I deem important. I accepted Christ into my life sometime around 1962 and He has been with me ever since. Every day I talk to Him and He answers my every question, answers pray in a way that He is honoured and worshiped, and I sometime realize that He is here just smiling. Every day we should be thankful for the day God has given us. Every day we need to make the best of our life here on earth, but also, prepare for our eternal life which is yet to come. It will be a place where time will have no finish, just time to sit at Jesus feet.

Something to think about

Rob

Footprints In The Snow

Went for a walk the other night. It was cold and there was a new dusting of snow. The streets were abandoned and only the street lights to mark my way. It's not too far to the corner store from our front door but it was a bit cold. Most of us measure our steps and know how cold we will be before we get in the store and the opposite coming home. I found myself moving a little quicker than normal. Did I say it was cold?
Didn’t think much about the walk to the store. I guess I was in too much of a hurry to get there and back home. All this suffering just for a bag of chips. No dip tonight. While in the store I took a stroll down the chocolate bar isle. There in front of me was an array of delights and even some marked down. Something about being out of date soon. You would be proud of me, I didn’t buy any.
There were only two other people in the store at the time. Both of them were employees. At the check out there was a friendly hello, an exchange of money and a “Have fun” as I was out the door in a hurry to get home.
I was moving faster, or so I thought until something slowed my steps. There, coming towards me were my one set of imprints in the snow. A lonely set. For  a moment I thought them so, so, lonely. Just one print after another print after another print. I was myself starting to feel very much alone. That was until someone passed me. Probably on their way to the store to get some chips as well. I nodded my head and continued on my way. Looking down again, I now took notice of two sets of prints. Sometimes side by side and sometimes overlapping each other. I even looked back and saw three sets. I felt better and not so alone.

As I closed the door behind me I began to reflect on how sometimes we feel all alone. Interestingly that second set of footprints made me smile knowing that we really aren’t alone. Take a look around at your life. So many others in this world walk with us. They call us, email, text and even drop over. Yes, I have to say we are not really alone. Not only are there other people who walk this journey with us, but we, who love the Lord, have Him to walk with as well. Now we can smile as we turn back to look for His footprints in your life.

Something to think about

Rob 

One More Grocery Cart

I am no longer a fan of crowds. Going to a hockey game is not on my radar or the Super Bowl either. I know it seems strange for a minister to not like crowds but loves to see every seat in the sanctuary filled. But that is how it is with me. At one time I really enjoyed the energy you felt when you were part of something that was big, energizing, engaging and moving. Today, I would rather just sit back and watch the rerun on tv.

Sometimes I even get frustrated with going to the grocery store on a busy Saturday morning. Seems like so many buggies in my way. People stop with their buggy in the middle of the isle and stand in a way no one can get by and eventually they turn and say, “Sorry”. Right! It’s wonderful when everyone is going in the same direction row after row. But what decade did that last happen? Did you know that all grocery stores are designed after one pattern? Did you also know that the food you should eat is on the sides and back of each store and not in the middle? Just thought I would help. I calm myself before going in to the store because I know what is ahead of me.

But think about this, in that grocery store you are one of two things, either you are holding up traffic or else you are moving with everyone else. It’s the same with the Church of Jesus Christ. Now I'm not just talking about a particular church building but the church as a whole. You are either holding it back or helping to keep it moving forward. Which takes me to the scripture that tells us something in His own words, Jesus said, “I will build my church…” If that is true, where do we stand? Are we all in the way, preventing it from growing or are we moving forward following the lead of Christ to help make it happen?  I believe we all need to be part of the solution not the problem. Only you can answer that. But answer it. And then get in line behind Him. And by the way, try not to think about this the next time you are in a crowded grocery store.

Something to think about.

Simple?

Is it me? Or do you also feel that all of life is too complicated? And nothing seems simple anymore.  What’s with that? Used to be you could ask a simple question and get a simple answer. Take for instance when I had a problem with my computer. I would call up someone who knows what he is doing and he would say, press this, click on that, hit enter and bingo, it was back to normal. Yes of course I had to hear the same lecture that the problem happened because of operator’s error. Can’t get it fixed that easily today, no sir. Unhook all those wires, clean off all the dust, carry it out to the car, drive two hundred miles to the tech’s business, take it in, tell all about the problem, drive back two hundred miles, wait for a phone call, drive back two hundred miles, open the wallet, get the lecture again, drive home while picking up my twelve year old grand-daughter who will hook up all those wires and then drive her home. Just so I can go back on the computer and screw it up again within a month.

Ok, it’s much simpler with the laptop. But really, does life have to be so complicated? It’s not just with computers either. Our microwave oven now has more buttons than the cockpit of a 747. Even more than the 85 buttons on the tv remote. Did I tell you I fixed the tv? It’s so simple now. Really simple. I canceled the cable and now I only use four buttons, on, volume up or down and off.  You see, I only get one channel. Boy can you get a lot of things done when there is only one station that has nothing to watch on it. Simple, and to tell you the truth, I love it.

Just that one thing has made life a little simpler for me. Life is still complicated and probably always will. It’s just part of being in the world we live in. Most of us deal with it well and do what we can to be aware of what life has in store for us tomorrow and all our tomorrows.

We also need to realize that God made Himself know to us simply. He knew we had our own agenda and even though He wanted a relationship with His ultimate creation, He realized that He would have to come to us. He came in the person of His Son, who came to this world not to just show us how to live an amazing life but He came to pay the price for our sins. Sin is what separated us from a perfect God in the first place.  You can read all about it in one simple verse. “God so loved the world that He sent His Son, that whoever believes in Him will live forever”.  Simple, right?

Something to think about.

Rob