Someday there will be an envelope with our name on it.

A fun date

Recently my husband remembered one of my funny dating stories from college and asked me to recount it at the dinner table. Yes, people laughed, but tucked amidst the laughter is a sobering truth.

I accepted a date in college with a man who attended a school of Mortuary Science. He wanted to become a funeral home director. I really liked being around him. He made me laugh.

His apartment was unique. I climbed stairs similar to a fire escape up to a door just under the roof line of a beautiful white home with a porch. The apartment was super cute. He ordered pizza and we sat cross-legged on the floor to enjoy the slices of goodness.

Then the phone rang.

After answering, he hung up and said, “Oh, no. I am on-call and need to go pick up a person who has died.  He and his co-worker were required to wear long black men’s dress coats when driving the hearse, so I was given one to wear as well. We drove to the back of a hospital in Pittsburgh, the three of us sandwiched together in the front seat.

My date left to go inside while I waited in the hearse until he and his partner appeared with a stretcher between them. I kept looking straight ahead while I heard a stretcher being slid in behind me, and then the back door was shut. My date got behind the wheel and tossed an envelope onto the dash board.

I still remember her name.

I won’t publish the name out of respect for her, but I have never forgotten the beautiful name of the woman who had just passed away that evening.

And there you have it. While I buy my skin care products, watch my weight and dye my hair in an attempt to look as good as I can for my age, I am going to die. You are too.

One day our names will be on an envelope.

At that point the question to ask will not be, “How long did we live?” The important question will be, “How well did we live?” Did we live for short-term goals or long-term? Did we live for here-and-now or eternity?

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

I just spoke with young adults last week about starting to save for retirement in their twenties so they can take full advantage of compound interest. This principle applies spiritually as well. Exercising our faith by investing in our relationship with God and others produces eternal results that outlive us. Those are investments worth making!

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

Let’s not forget. 

Life is not long, it just feels long. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14) Let’s live the number of our days well. I was reminded of this while on a date in college and have never forgotten.

Speaking of living for eternal purpose: If you are interested in being contacted to participate in a One Gritty Blink Bible study, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and send me an email so I can place you on a list to be contacted as online and face-to-face studies are planned. Let’s not just focus on things in this short life, but also what counts for eternity!

Picture Explanation: Our little pumpkin brings life into a difficult world.

Note: No part of my posts are derived from A.I. Thoughts and writing stem from my mind and heart as I process life week-by-week and continue to grow in my understanding of God and how to apply His wisdom to the world around me.

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