The Preacher's Pen

What's the first thing people say at a class reunion? "You haven't changed a bit!" I heard that a lot at Dena's recent FC class reunion. I'm not old enough, of course, for a twentieth reunion (Dena reminds me mine is next year), but it was great to see old friends, catch up on who was doing what, and to relive old times again. Friends are great, but friends in Christ are the best.

Of course, some had changed - lost a lot of hair or gained a lot of weight. Yet there were some who seemed to be practically identical to the person we knew in college. These had defeated time and were apparently just the same. At least we believed that until we saw the slideshow. After we ate we got to see "the way we were." One of the class members had put together a wonderful slide show of pictures from when we were in college. Some were funny, some were sad, but every picture made me realize: we had all changed. Some had changed more than others, but no one was the same youth of eighteen or nineteen that we saw in those pictures. Perhaps like never before I realized that I am much closer to forty than I am fifteen. I may refuse to grow up, but I can't stop the fact that I am getting older.

Our world worships youth and does everything it can to stave off the changes of age. They are coming anyway. Everyone of us is aging, everyone of us is getting older, and everyone of us will die (save the Lord comes again). Why do we pretend otherwise? How much time is spent primping and painting, exercising and dying, so that we don't have to face the obvious: this physical body is not designed to live forever, and it will not live forever. Each one of us needs to give attention to the reality of our mortal existence and prepare for the ultimate change: when we will die and be in the presence of God to receive our eternal destiny. How often do you think about that change? Let's give it more consideration!

"Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" 2 Corinthians 5:9-10