When they got
out of bed that morning, none expected life’s unexpected turn.
The Pentagon Memorial commemorates the 184 people who were killed on American Airlines Flight 77 and inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Small illuminated concrete benches—representing each of the victims--are arranged so that reading a Pentagon victim’s name requires facing the Pentagon, while reading a plane victim’s name requires facing the direction the plane was traveling.
Regardless
of their ages or life circumstances, none of the victims expected terrorists to
board their plane and direct it into the side of the Pentagon. Nor did those
working in the Pentagon expect a plane to shatter their building.
Fog wasn't the issue that day. Terrorists were. Yet, fog can pose problems when flying. Thankfully, morning fogs generally only hang around until the sun burns them away.
My wife and I once
flew out of August, Georgia, on our way to see friends in Denver, Colorado. Our
flight was delayed because of a thick layer of fog blanketing the area. Although
it seemed as if we waited forever, we were only delayed one hour.
Life is like a fog. It doesn’t hang around long, and it often takes unexpected turns. Even if I’m fortunate to live into my nineties, my life is comparatively brief. What I need to do, I need to do now.
The most important thing for anyone is to trust Christ as their Savior. But
there are other things we also need to do. Deciding to trust Christ will
assure us of heaven, but we may be on earth for quite some time, so other decisions affect our futures here.
When Jesus said he came to give abundant life, he wasn’t talking about life in heaven but
rather life on earth. Obeying God’s commands and making serving Christ
the centerpiece of our lives will usher in a type of existence that everyone searches for—but typically in the wrong places.
Spending time on
endeavors that will outlast our lives makes sense. We can leave writings or spiritual journals. We can
teach honorable trades or a Sunday school class. We can also leave an example
that will affect our children, grandchildren, and others. But we only have a
brief time to do it. Soon our lives will lift like the fog.
Decide to do
something that will outlive your brief life.
Father,
help me to live each day with purpose, so that when my brief life ends, I can die knowing I have served You and others well.
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