Living in Shadowland

A friend of mine has watched a co-worker walk through a battle with cancer for many years. Now he's having to watch this colleague walk through "valley of the shadow of death," since she can receive no more treatment and may die this year, barring some miracle from God. She's on medical leave, spending lots of time with friends and saying goodbye to her family.

I'm wondering how my friend's colleague is seeing life so clearly now. She is a very strong Christian and is ready to go home. And in her fight with cancer over half a decade, she's already been able to see what really counts in life. I would think that now it's even clearer.

In Psalm 39, David ponders the brevity of his life, and of ours:

LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered,
and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer
than the width of my hand.
An entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
human existence is but a breath.” We are merely
moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.

This woman battling this deadly disease is very aware of how brief her time is on earth. However, if you and I presently healthy, we live under the illusion that we have lots of time here. I'm just wondering how differently we'd live if we recognized that our lives are "fleeing away" and that "an entire lifetime is just a moment" to the Lord. Here's a few ways that I think I'd carry out my daily pursuits if I were keenly aware of this life being like a vapor:

1. I'd forgive much quicker.

A while back we had some people over for Sunday lunch. I needed to leave early before cleaning up. When I came home, the kitchen was huge mess, Susan was asleep taking a nap and apparently none of our guests helped clean. The dog got into some of the food and spilled stuff on the carpet. I spent about 45 minutes putting the kitchen and dining room back together – and was mad the whole time.

In the grand scheme of things, however, is it really that big of a deal? Life is too short to become bitter and unforgiving.

2. I wouldn’t let little annoyances bother me. The movie, “Regarding Henry,” tells of a high velocity, wealthy attorney who is injured and ends up in a rehab hospital. When he finally comes home, he’s obviously a changed man. At breakfast, his daughter spills a glass of milk and instead of yelling at her, this transformed man simply says, “That’s all right, honey. We can clean it up.”

3. I’d worry less. Isn’t worry a matter of us not trusting God and trying to be in control?

4. I’d give away more money and material things. If we think we have this long life before us, our tendency is to stockpile money and stuff. Have you noticed that when people know they’re going to die they sometimes give things away? But if we realized how fleeting our days are and how temporary this world is, I believe we wouldn’t hang onto cash and things we “own.” We’d recognize that everything we have is really just on loan from God. It’s all his. So why not share it with those in need?

5. I’d dwell on heaven a lot more. Others have observed that there aren’t as many songs about heaven among churches as there were during the hard times of the depression. Is it because when life becomes more comfortable here on earth we don’t long for the perfection and bliss of heaven. A perspective on life where we knew that we’re going to die and it will come quicker than we think would surely prompt us to recognize that heaven is our real home.

G’ampa C’s response to yesterday’s post summarizes well what I’m trying to convey to all of us today:

"Oh, to be able to see, right now, the important things as I will see them looking back on this life. "

So true, brother, so true. Lord, please give us these eyes of eternity.

Jim