I Hear Church Bells

Not too long ago, the bus was parked next to a church building in Texas.  In this small town, one of the church's attractions and advertising tools was the electronic church bell sitting atop their auditorium.  At half past the hour, a chime would sound, and on the hour, the bell would sound to signal which hour we had arrived upon.  That would have been OK, maybe like a grandfather clock,  but after playing the hourly number, it proceeded to play a verse and chorus of a hymn!  

No matter where you were on the property or in its vicinity, no matter what stage of sleep you happened to be in, you could not escape the chimes of time.  The first day I thought, "what an annoyance!" Why in the world would they park us here next to this siren of a church bell for an entire week?!  But by day three, God had opened my eyes to a few lessons that made it a little more tolerable.  

1.  Time Never Stops

I know what you're thinking...that fact just BLEW. YOUR. MIND. Right?!  While this captain obvious statement is rather general, the fact is so under-considered by the American culture.  This generation has been accused of constantly living in the moment, but I believe that to be false!  Today's moments are so consumed with snapping photos of ourselves and events so that we can look back, that often we fail to genuinely enjoy the moment we are in!  Each half hour as that bell would ring, I was reminded that even when I became idle, time continued on.  The bell became a sudden transport to the very moment I was in; a realization that my tomorrow hinged on my choices in this moment. 

2.  Success And Failure Are Measured By Moments

At first this was depressing.  I'll never forget sitting in my make-shift office, hearing that church-bell ring and wondering if there was a glitch in the program.  Hadn't I JUST heard that bell only a few moments ago?  Had a half hour REALLY passed already? A glance at my watch revealed a depressing truth...another half hour had passed and I had done NOTHING.  Have you ever made it to the end of the day and wondered where the time went?  Maybe as you sit here and realize it's OCTOBER and the year we just started a few days ago is weeks away from a close.  Dwelling on this fact can definitely drive one into depression, until you begin to reevaluate how you spend your time.  Set your goals and evaluate your productivity moment by moment.  If you fail in one half hour segment, your day is not a failure, for the next moment may hold great progress.  Both positive and negative momentum are products of a series of small, measurable moments. 

3.  Timing Is Everything

If you fail to consider this point, you may jump the gun on some good opportunities to wait.  While tomorrow is not promised, and you never truly know what a moment may bring does not give you an out not to plan.  My great-grandpa always said, "plan your work, and work your plan."  This principle applies to every single aspect of life.  In order for my moments, resulting in my day, to be successful, I must have a general direction for where I am headed, and the time it will take me to get there.  If the purpose of my day is ill-defined, I will arrive at my destination every time.  Some opportunities take planning and strategizing; therefore each moment doubles as a celebration of "now" and a deliberation of what is to come.  A moment too soon, or a second too late can ultimately change your entire future. 

  "Remember WHEN?"  "Remember THAT TIME?"  Time serves as the foundation and vehicle for every move of life.  It's more valuable than gold, yet freely given.  How have you spent yours?

What Do You Want On Your Tombstone?

 Remember those hilarious pizza commercials? Dramatic music begins to play as one character awaits death.  As you began to get caught up in the dramatization of this death scene,  the question was asked, "what do you want on your tombstone?"  With no more than a moment's pause, the answer came, "pepperoni and cheese!!!"  Insert announcer voice:  Real ingredients so it's always real good!  What do YOU want on your tombstone?"

Paul seemed to have a backward view of life, at least in comparison to most.  He wrote, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  To Paul, death was nothing more than an opportunity to testify in a greater capacity than his lips could attain.  Pause for a moment, and reflect on death.   Go with me to the funeral of that dear loved one,  and as we walk toward the casket what do you hear?  What do you see?  What does death feel like?  The sobs of relatives erupt on occasion, and a spirit of heartache sweeps through each heart.  To our eyes, death appears as a loss.  How then could we describe it as gain?

Walking toward the final resting place for the shell that once contained a soul, we see the tombstone.  Name.  Date of Birth.  Date of Death.  Inscription............  How does it read?  What great thing did he accomplish?  How does the very brief inscription that summarizes an entire life read?  What did those close and acquainted with him have to say?  All in a moment,  everything disappears, and only few descriptive words remain.

Romans 14:12 says, "So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God."  As you stand before the almighty,  you have the opportunity to deliver the obituary of your own life.  You write the tombstone!  C.T. Studd said it best, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past.  Only what is done for Christ will last."  Friend,  what do you want on your tombstone?  Have you given it thought?  As you reflect on the activities of even this day,  to what gave you the most thought?  Your clothing choice, or meal order?  Your route to work, or witty Facebook post?  How much time meditating on God's way for your life?

Write it down.  Seriously, right now.  Your name,  your date of birth,  and then what you wish others to say of you.  Make a second, with your spiritual birthday,  and what account you wish to present to God.  Now,  live backward.  Oh, how our days would look drastically different if we knew just how many we had left.  But tomorrow is not promised.  Our time would be occupied and stewarded with much care if today was known to be our last.  Bury the person you are today,  and live the life of the one you hope other's to bury someday.  Begin each day from the ground up, rather spend each day digging tomorrow's grave.  What do you want on your tombstone?