What Are You Full Of?

Overheard as a foreman was consulting with a new employee: “...Whatever you do, don’t panic in a stressful situation – that’s when people get hurt. I’ll tell you when to panic, and if you ever see me running – do your best to keep up!” I’m not in the panic mode about this corona virus thing, but I am paying attention to what’s going on around me. It wouldn’t hurt to prepare as you would for a big storm. Maybe it will hit, maybe not.


When all the great manufacturing plants of our cities have turned out their last finished product; when our merchants have doled their last yard of silk, and dismissed the tired weary clerk; when our banks have taken their last dollar, and declared their last dividend; when the judge of the world says, “Closed for the night” and asks for a balance, What Then? When the actor has played his last drama, and the mimic has made his last fun; when the film has flashed its last picture, and the billboard has displayed its last announcement, when the crowds seeking pleasure have vanished and gone out into the darkness again; when the trumpet of all ages has sounded, and we all stand before God, What Then? When the bugle’s last blast sinks into silence and the long marching columns stand still; when the Captain has given his last orders, and they’ve captured the last hill; when the flag has been lowered from the masthead, and the wounded have all checked in; when souls that have rejected their Savior are asked for a reason, What Then? When the people have sung their last anthem, and the preacher has said his last prayer; when the people have heard their last sermon, and the sound has died out in the air; when the Bible lies closed on the pulpit, and the pews are all empty of souls; when all stand facing their record, and the Great Book is opened, What Then?


[Ephesians 4:1-6; 17-32; 5:1-21] Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will be passed on to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel into irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won’t matter if you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So, what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; Not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone. What will matter are not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what. Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters. If you were walking from the well carrying a bucket of water and someone jostled you, there would be spilled from the bucket only what it contained. As you walk along the path of life, people are constantly bumping into you. If your life is full with ill-nature, bad temper, and ugly disposition, those things will be spilled from it. If it is full of Christian spirit, you will spill a smile and/or some kind of pleasant remark. You can spill from your bucket only that which it contains. “...put on the new self ...be filled with the Spirit.” Shalom!