“A WALK”

     On my lunch break I often like to go for a walk.  I do this in a large, well-kept cemetery near my workplace.  Normally these walks are commonplace; but one day was different.

     Early in my stroll I had to stop as a funeral procession made its way to the chapel.  Slowly, almost silently, the hearse and other cars rolled by.

     Having reached the far end of my circuit I turned to make my way back to the car.  Nearing the center of the cemetery, I observed the workers placing the casket that had arrived earlier in its final resting place.  A life of however many years, laid to rest in less than 10 minutes with nothing but a mound of dirt and flowers to remind the passersby of the life that once had been.

     Continuing my stroll, I came across something I had never seen before (other than on a screen).  At the edge of the road was an open grave.  In my line of work I have been in holes several feet deeper than this one.  Why was standing here with my toes on the edge of a mere six foot hole in the ground so…sobering?  Could it be because here was a harsh reminder of what life is all about…about the grave, about death?

     Life about death?  Isn’t that a paradox?  1 John 2:17 states, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”  If I focus my life only on the few brief years that I may walk this earth then is it all over at the grave?

     There is a popular country song that states something to the effect of “live like you are dying.”  Brothers and sisters, as God’s children we must live like we are dying.  In other words we must live in the light of eternity.  In so doing, in viewing this life as a preparation for death and what comes afterward, you will be amazed at how full and meaningful your life on earth will be as you focus on the truly important things.  Your whole perspective will change as what was once important becomes trivial and what was once neglected becomes the center of your life.

     Remember: Only the physical, short-term, temporal existence ends at the grave.  Where will you be for eternity?  Do you live in light of eternity?  Let us end with a quote from Timothy Jones:

 We cannot live rightly until we aim past life.  Eternity provides the only goal that makes ultimate sense of our lives.

-Jennifer Watson

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