Love it or not, it comes for us all. I can make believe. Pretend it won’t happen to me. Kick the can down the road. Who knows, maybe it will all just go away?
Death. Everyone arrives with an expiration date. If this sounds overly morbid, I hear you. I’ve thought this way as well. And yet, the older I get, the more I ponder upon it. Hold that thought…
My Aunt recently gifted me a picture from a family reunion that took place while my grandfather, her dad, was still alive. He was one of thirteen kids. Four girls. Nine boys. Every sibling is present for the photo. Their mom and dad, my great-grandparents (both deceased), are pasted into the side margins of this pic. Great Grandma on the left. Great Grandpa on the right. And it’s not just a single shot of each but a younger and older display of both. I love this picture!
Do you ever find yourself staring at a photo? Looking deep into the eyes of an individual? Desperately aiming to see what they saw? Feel what they felt? I do.
I don’t recall meeting Great Grandpa. But as I gaze into his youthful face I cannot help but wonder what struggles he had as a younger fellow. What obstacles did he hope to one day overcome? What were his joys? What made this man tick?
Shifting now to his elder self. Did you overcome those obstacles? How did you do it? Did you have any help? And the things that once brought you joy, do they still? How did you grow? What did you learn? At the end of your life, are you a happy man or overcome with regret/sorrow? What reality do your eyes reveal about the life your soul was once living?
It’s famously stated, “Wisdom comes with age”. While I submit it takes years (age) to acquire wisdom (since wisdom is birthed through the canals of experience) we certainly see a lot of older folk who are no more wise in their elder age than a child in theirs. What gives? And what things can we do now to prepare our older selves? What path would lead us toward wisdom since this ship doesn’t arrive without someone standing at the helm? Are we being intentional, or is life just happening?
Perhaps you’ve been asked: “What are you doing with your dash?” If not, the dash refers to the time between the day you were born and the date that you died (e.g. John Doe; Dec 31, 1938 - Jan 17, 2021). Excellent question!
Or maybe you’re aiming to simply “BE”. After all, “We’re human beings, not human doings.” I love this! But what if our BE doesn’t bear the fruit of BECOMING? Is there any sense in leaving the couch? Binge a bunch of shows on Netflix? Boasting to the world of social media how we’re the ones with the answers? Secretly snubbing everyone of notable action? When the credits roll, will your name be cast? Does this truly bring us joy?
“Are you a Mary or a Martha?” I actually don’t care for the exclusivity the question assumes. If Mary NEVER works then Martha is not surprised by her actions or lack thereof. But she is. Mary simply knows when to be still from the work she routinely performs. Martha does not.
Interestingly enough, BE is a verb. It’s doing something. First, I think it involves actively seeking silence from the voices that search to define us via their own selfish standards and discover instead who we are really. Second, is adding action to our identity. If “faith without works is dead”, then the same may be said about a being that seldom does. Perhaps, the one who has truly learned to BE, DOES so with more vitality than those who work out of order. I could be wrong. I might be right. Feel free to educate me on it. With the fruit of your life.
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