“Do you think this is the last day?” A frail patient asked me on a recent hospital visit. I hope not, I said. But you never know. I reassured her she was loved and not alone.
We’ve been hearing a lot of doom and gloom as of late. A code red for our planet is pause for thought. It is certainly a call to action. With fires burning, floods and earthquakes, it seems our planet is unhappy to say the least.
Our own skies have been so eerie at times as smoke from the White Rock Lake fire blankets our region. It has been hard to breathe, and our summer has seemed to vanish under the threat of fire and Covid. It is no wonder people are weary.
A smoke filled sky
i grew up believing the end of the world was near. I’m hearing that again as Christians will whisper to me, we are in the last days. Could it be? Maybe. Maybe not.
I remember stories of my mom speaking of her mother who was hesitant to marry and have children. What was the point? I’m glad she did, for I too am now a grandmother,
In my own generation scores of us didn’t bother with an education beyond high school. Why bother? We looked to the skies for Jesus’ return, and thought it was near.
In the 70’s we prepared for the Cold War, storing up food, preparing for the end. Repeat that at the end of the century with Y2K dire predictions.
Before you worry I’ve lost my faith, you can be reassured. But I am no longer easily moved by dire predictions. Jesus said quite clearly we would not know.
What concerns me more is that Christians often seem to be in self protection mode, rather than caring for the needs of others, or caring for the earth that has been entrusted to us. I think we’ve had it backwards.
I’ve shifted my thinking and focus. How should I live in uncertain days?
It is clear to me that we should be taking care of our planet, however we can. Plastic reduction or elimination, water conservation, reducing, repurposing, recycling are all small ways to contribute. Growing a garden, composting, supporting our farmers all make sense to me.
In our polarized world, it is easy to disagree on climate change, vaccinations, and a host of other divisive conversations. Which truly get us nowhere.
Rather, can we focus on being compassionate, on helping those in need, on loving one another? I think God cares far more about the condition of our hearts than correct theology or predictions.
What is important? Loving God. Loving each other. Through uncertain times and in hopeful times.
Is the world ending? I don’t know. But we can live every day as though it were our last, a precious gift. And we CAN live hopeful lives, knowing that God is in all our tomorrows and we don’t need to fret.
Live each day lightly
