Over in an Instant: The Importance of Living Like We Mean it

They had been raised from chicks by hand, and they were much loved. Ricky and Fred were stunning examples of their breeds. An Americauna and a Silver Wyandotte. When the roosters began to crow, they needed a new home, so they came to live with me.

The third rooster was just "Rooster" and I had raised him from an egg.

They were the funniest roosters I've ever had. Sassy and bossy, they strutted in front of the barn like they were kings of the world. Until day before yesterday.

That morning, I had checked the chickens before I went to help with Bible school. They were all in the coop. I let them out to free range for the day. When I left, they were fine.

Later that afternoon, I was on the screen porch, writing, when I heard the chickens cackling like crazy. The roosters were crowing. It was an uproar. I looked around for Maggie and Mamie, my two chicken-chasing dogs. They were snoozing on the floor beside me. 

Usually, a chicken uproar means the dogs are trying to play chase with the chickens. This time, the racket was over almost before it began. Chickens being chickens, I decided, and kept writing. 

I wish I hadn't. 

I'm not sure I could have changed anything if I'd run with all my might, though.

A few hours later, The Hired Hand came by. "What're all those feathers about?" 

"What feathers?" 

"Two big clumps of feathers. One clump of red feathers and one clump of black ones."

"I don't know. The chickens were all there a few hours ago."

We shrugged it off. As usual, the chickens put themselves to bed and he closed the coop door on his way home. 

Yesterday, I had a busy day, so I didn't get to the barn until mid-afternoon. I apologized to the chickens for being late and looked around. Seven hens. No roosters.

I called the roosters. No one came.

I searched everywhere. Not a rooster in sight.

When I saw the feathers, I knew.

The hawk we'd seen circling the barn a few days earlier had come back. The roosters were gone.

I know this might not be the first thing most people think about when they find the remnants of their beloved roosters, but I thought, "Life is so fleeting. It's just a vapor, really." I put the chickens back in their coop and trudged toward the house. 

As I walked, I pondered the brevity of our lives. In the big scheme of eternity, it's over in an instant. In a flash of talons and ripping beaks, the roosters' time here was done. Our lives can end just as quickly. One pause in heart rhythm, one car accident, one tiny blood clot to the brain, and we're gone. 

One moment we're here. The next, we've stepped into eternity. 

Life is short and it ends fast sometimes. That's why it's so important to live like we mean it. 

If we say we love our families and friends, we need to live like we do. 

If we care about our neighbor as ourselves, we need to demonstrate that concern with our lives. 

If we say we love our Lord, we need to live so that others can see that in us.

There will come a day when we take one breath in this world and our next breath in eternity. It can be sooner than we expect, so let's stop today and consider the priorities of our lives. Are they in the proper order? 

If we were to die today, would we be proud of how we invested our few days on this earth? Would God be pleased?

The time to change is now. Consider what is most important in life and begin today to make any adjustments that need to be made in both priorities and life style.

Tell people you love them. Express appreciation. Say thank you. Put down your phones. Embrace life. Laugh. Give more hugs. Smile every chance you get.

 Live like you mean it.

"Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 nasb

#lifeisshort #GoodFriday #disciple

The Problem with Phone Calls

I don't like phone calls. 

Since 1986, when I graduated from medical school, very few of the phone calls I've received have delivered good news. The vast majority of my phone calls have been about patients. Night call can do that. None of those calls were to celebrate a miraculous recovery. Most were because of a problem, and most required some sort of action on my part.

It's no wonder, then, that I avoid the phone like the plague. It has seldom brought good news. 

Today marks four weeks since that pivotal call from Sam. "Jamie's on the floor and I can't get her up." It was an ordinary day like every other ordinary day, but it changed everything. 

I had no idea what that call would mean to our future, nor did Sam. 

I don't guess Jamie knew, either. Sam's call led to a 911 call requesting an ambulance. A call to the referral center requesting transfer. A call to family requesting their presence after a downturn in condition. A call to hospice with another referral. A call to the funeral home.

One call after another, one request after another, all marching in a steady spiral toward an eternal destination. 

There were a few calls, however, that made a difference we won't soon forget. Jamie called out to God, and grace, mercy, and redemption were given. Calls to friends and family for prayer were answered with an outpouring of grace. Sam and I called out to God for strength and peace, and we received it. 

Decades of phone calls have taught me that life can change in an instant. When we least expect it, disaster can strike. A downward spiral from which there is no escape can begin. The doors of eternity can open and someone we love can walk through. 

There's no escaping the inescapable. No avoiding the inevitable.

Trouble will come. Sorrow will overwhelm us. Life will end. Eternity will begin.

Life is precious and fragile. 

Knowing life's brevity should make a difference in how we live, both today and tomorrow. 

Leave nothing undone. No kind word unsaid. No forgiveness withheld. Love without reservation. Give without limit. Obey without hesitation. 

One day, our call will come. We will step into eternity and everything will change. Until then, let us live and love with abandon, as if this day, every day, might be our last.

Behold, I tell you a mystery, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable and we will all be changed." 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52 kjv

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In case you missed any of this week's posts, here are the links: Still a Sinner, How to Have a Flood of God-Love, The Wonder Girls Close the Park, Soft drinks, snacks, and airplane takeoff, and Yeast in the Flour. 

The most-read post of the past week: Death is Not the End. 

#lifeisshort #JesusChrist #eternity #death #eternallife #phone

photo courtesy freeimages.com