Man – Woman – Birth – Death – Infinity

The above quote hit home again when I became aware of a neighbor diagnosed with cancer.  It is said the dreaded disease has spread throughout his liver, stomach, and back.  I don’t know the man nor his wife very well, but when I received the news he was dying, my mind went back to many stories not unlike this.  I have known many who worked for many material things while placing God at the end of the list, and then a day came when it is unlike any other.  The focus is no longer on retirement or long awaited trips.

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”    Proverbs 27:1

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”     James 4:14

A young woman cut my hair many, many times.  I remember getting material and trying to teach her the gospel, but at that time she was interested in partying with her sister, friends and husband.  Then one day, it was like no other.  She told me she was going to see a doctor for she had a nagging cough.  She did.  They told her it was bronchitis.  For a brief time, she was extremely happy it wasn’t lung cancer.  Not long thereafater she received the news.  She had stage four lung cancer.  35 years old.  She died a short time later with brain cancer.

“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:  behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
II Corinthians 6:2

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away.”    Psalm 90:10

And then another story of a young woman who took the hairdresser’s place in cutting my hair.  A few months after my husband died, I set an appointment to have my hair styled for my younger son’s wedding.  When I arrived, no one was at the shop.  I called and called but no answer.  Later. I learned she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and died.  She was 39 years of age.  Though I tried to teach her the Gospel as well, she wasn’t interested.

I can recount story after story such as the three examples given.  Living for today, deceiving ourselves that we have X amount of time to live, and perhaps place God first at some point.  The problem is, as with the three examples above, they “thought” they had time.  Time to repent, time to find the truth, time to obey, but it never came.  Grave yards are legion with those who “thought” there was more time.  And yes, they all had good intentions.  They were going to get serious about life sometime, but sometime never came.

The operative word in Scripture is “now.”  Now, while there is time.  Never put off spiritual matters until tomorrow, for tomorrow may never come.

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”     Acts 22:16

“We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with.  Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do.  We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them.”

Eileen Light