The Great Journey

We are born innocent, ignorant of the frailty of the vessels we’ve been granted for a time. The innocence lasts but for a breath, then ever so slowly, we become painfully aware of the temporal nature of our existence here on earth. If not for the hope of eternity, if not for the hope we have in the knowledge that Jesus went to prepare a place for us, from the moment we learn to read and write, to understand truths deeper than finger painting and making doodles on paper, despondency would be a constant companion, and fear a perpetual reality.

This magnificent journey, this gift of life has a beginning, and thusly must have an end. Only that which is without beginning is without end, and as far as I know, God is the only One to have claimed this privilege. For everything else, there is finality.

When the journey ends is not up to us. The only thing we can control is how we travel the road while we are here. What do we leave in our wake? What do we sow in the lives of those we come in contact with? How will we be remembered by those we leave behind to mourn our passing? How have we run our race?

Were we the source of more laughter than tears? Did we bless when others encouraged us to curse? Were we faithful even when others were not? Did we press onward even when the oft-promised healing, prosperity, abundance, and favor seemed out of reach or lacking? Did we trust God implicitly in all things and not just some things? Were we able to say with our final breath it is well with my soul?

Did we spend the time we were given wisely? Did we grow in our love for God? Did we treasure those close to us? Did we love without reservation? Did we give of ourselves even when it was difficult to do so?

On average, mankind gets little more than 72 years to come to terms with its temporal nature. Some live longer, while others, for reasons only God knows, are only granted a sliver of that time on this earth. They, too, must come to terms with finality, just at a far faster clip than most. They must learn in a year what others learn in a decade, and life being a timed test, when the bell rings, you put your pencil down and close the workbook.

Other than Hezekiah, none of us get to go into overtime or ask for a few more minutes to solve the riddles, the answers to which were on the tip of our tongue. The bell has rung, the time you’ve been allotted has expired, your race is run, your fight is over, and all that’s left is the grading.

There’s always tomorrow until there isn’t. When you put off doing tomorrow what you could have done today, you’re writing a check that is just as likely to bounce as it is to clear. Some things are worth putting off, or never doing altogether, like binge-watching some fool pretending to be another fool, but some things are vital, necessary, urgent, and indispensable. Know which is which, and do the essential ones before the journey ends. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.