May 21, 2011

Did you know that today is the last day of the world as we know it? 

According to some heavily reported upon predictions, today is supposed to be doomsday.  Judgement day.
Our last day.  The end. 

I hope I don't offend you when I tell you that my first reaction to "end of the world" predictions is always to laugh. 

And not because I'm one of those bible-believing-Jesus-people who uses the bible as a reference to nobody ever knowing the time or day of the second coming/end of the world as we know it.....

....even though I AM one of those people......
....that's not why I laugh. 

I chuckle because I think it is absolutely absurd to put your faith in a predicted day being your last day.

Because when you do that, don't you lose a lot?

Because who on earth is to really say if you are going to live another 10 decades, 10 years or 10 minutes. 

Who on earth is to say that you follow all the healthy rules of life and still get cancer.

Who on earth decides, that even though you are young and vibrant, that you are not taken suddenly by an accident or suddent health issue. 

And who on earth gets to make the decision of the last day for humanity as we know it?

I laugh because nobody on earth gets to decide.
Predict.....go for it.

But I got me some faith.
Faith, meaning, I believe in something I cannot see. 
In something that is beyond me. 
Faith in something that actually gives me hope.

People who believe in these predictions have faith in what they cannot see as well. 
I'm not going to argue with that. 

But.....hope?
Here is what I want to say.
come MIDNIGHT
when these preditions prove false.....
think about something....

There is nothing
nothing
to say that this could not have been your last day
or your neighbor's last day.

You never know when you
or someone you hold close
will be called home
to their maker. 

So why live....expecting to die when others predict?
Wouldn't life be so much more full
If we lived in a way
that made a difference to us
and eternity
in the now?

I came across an email this week.
It is about Sept. 11. 

When I read it, it reminded me how fragile life is
and how sure we can be
in our eternal future
even if we don't know
exactly when
where
or how
that future will become our everlasting now.

But it also reminded me
of how much more rich
my life would be
if I lived in a way
that I never knew....
when,
where
or how.

To me....it would look like life 
With no regrets.
Leaving it all on the field.
Every day.
Every.
Play. 

Here is that email....and I hope it inspires you to know that your life in the every day matters.
And you are not alone.

Someday, we will all find ourselves "in the stairwell." 
I just choose to believe that we don't ever know when that will be
for each one of us. 

But I also choose to live in a way that it could be my last.



'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'


You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't com ing home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, com forting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan .

I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.

But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you . But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
God