The Cave

Fissures in the roof of the cavern ooze. Water drops into a pool methodically, like the ticking of a clock. The sound of each drip sends a ping which echoes in the cavern as if it is the first sound ever to touch the darkness. Rock teeth jut from the floor, creating a mouth which yawns at the entrance, daring anyone to enter. A dank smell stands guard to repel anyone who may have ventured this far. It festers in the still air, like a pile of garbage left to rot in the sun.

The darkness suffocates. It fills the space, like water fills a glass, until it seems there is no room for anything else. The darkness allows a chill to control the air. Not a chill which raises one’s hair, but one which sees any form of warmth as an intruder. The chill reaches to the source of the warmth and engulfs it, pairing with the darkness to overwhelm it and defend their territory. They press against everything in the cavern, allowing for no escape.

Bits and pieces of the past litter the more prominent points. A fragment of frayed fabric hangs between a few of the fingers. A scrap of paper clings to another claw. Shards of glass litter the floor, like confetti scattered everywhere after a party.

A flame, secluded in a corner, struggles to assert itself. Angrily, the darkness struggles to extinguish it, but to no avail. Its flickering reveal hints that this place has not been completely void of life. The coals drive the chill from their tiny sphere of influence..  The golden flame is a beacon of hope, like the blinking of a lighthouse through the fog. The golden light of the flame turns to silver as it jumps off the glass, adding a small amount of color to the otherwise dreary cavern. Once past the sentries at the door, adventure and a story is to be found, for one brave enough to push through.

If I Die Young

This morning I randomly decided to listen to a country song entitled “If I Die Young.” Most find this song rather morbid, but I love the music and harmonies encased within this song and normally ignore what it’s about. This morning was different. I was in a contemplative mood, so as the fiddle crooned, I listened intently to the lyrics. One line in particular struck me.

“The sharp knife of a short life, well I’ve had just enough time.”

Beth, from Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott (For those of you who haven’t read it, I would highly recommend it), joined my thoughts. She died at the age of eighteen. Although that part in the book causes me to shed tears every time I read it, they are tears of a sweet sadness. For Beth had a short life, but she lived it well and when she went to be with the Heavenly Father, her family and many other people had been impacted by the life she lived. She wasn’t forgotten by anyone who knew her because her sweetness and genuine love had left a lasting impact. She was a character who focused on loving others well and living for those she loved. She tried her best to serve and bring happiness to those around her. She had her faults, burdens and bad days, but she did her best to take them to Jesus and ask Him to help her with them. There was a void left by her departure in the hearts of those who loved her, but rather than begrudge heaven for now having custody of their Beth, they were glad to have known her for as long as they did. Even though she is a fictional character, she embodied the line that stood out to me from the song.

It was a sobering thought that came to mind next. Have I lived a life so full of love and pleasing to the Lord that if He told me He was taking me home tonight, I would be able to say I’ve had just enough time here on this earth to accomplish what He wanted me to? I think right now the answer to that question is a no; so much of my time and energy I spent pursuing things driven by my own selfish desires. How much precious time have I wasted in this short life focusing on trivial things that have no eternal significance? Someone not saying please, a bill that I think is too high, having to change my schedule to accommodate someone else. I get upset about things that waste my time and take my focus away from loving and serving people like Christ did.

Funny how the Lord used a secular song to convict me of my shallowness, but He did.

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”  Proverbs 10:12

For the first time, this verse makes sense to me and I understand how to apply it to my life. Hatred has the root of selfishness and pride. All it will do is cause troubles and waste precious time. If I allow the love of Christ to flow through me and cover all sins, I can use the time He has given me to make an impact on those around me. But I have to choose to be selfless rather than selfish, just as Christ did. God has challenged me today to focus on how I can choose to love others rather than to serve my own interests and to look for opportunities to overlook silly trivial things in order to put relationships that will have eternal impact first. Will you join me?

One of my friends was a living example of this before I wrote about it, but he still accepted the challenge (minus reading Little Women.) He loved people regardless of how they treated him, and served people regardless of how it inconvenienced him. His life was focused on relationships. I can't remember him ever holding something trivial  against someone. He had his faults, but he did the best he could to live by loving people the way Christ did. Just like Beth, his time on this earth was short. Just a little over two weeks later, a tragic accident took him from this earth. While there is pain because he is gone, there is joy because he is with Jesus. And this lesson that God started is now permanently branded on my heart. Life isn't certain, but that doesn't mean that I can't make the most of the time God gives me here. If I live in obedience to Christ, He can use me to further His kingdom and impact the people I interact with...just as He used Luke. 

So again, I challenge myself and anyone reading this...especially those who knew Luke and can see a real example of this truth...will you join me in loving people with an eternal perspective?