Someday

Someday. Dad’s office was always a special place to me.  A place full of mystery and things to explore.  I was in 8th grade when one summer he had me take all his books off the shelves and clean them and the shelves and put them back. I spent some of that time reading some of those books.  I’m not sure why but especially interesting to me was brother Lambert’s “Catholicism Against Itself.”  That corner office in the front of the old Woodlawn office was a special place to me. I would retreat there often after services.  When Woodlawn became Roebuck Parkway again dad’s office was a special place to me. His door was always open and I loved the feeling of just walking in and seeing dad.  I suppose I was somewhat in awe of dad’s office.

It was surreal walking in there the morning after his death.  It was like it had been frozen in time.  There was mail on the desk. Appointment reminders, notes on calls to return, handwritten sermon notes from some tape or program he’d listened to, bills to be paid, past copies of the DayTimers that were ever with him, names of contacts he was to see.  Under the glass protecting the wood of the desk were pictures of kids and grandkids and dear friends. Of course there was no way he could have known when he walked out of that office a month earlier that he’d never be back in there. I went through ever article I could in his office - someday I may share some of what I found in there (among the things was a book he had given his dad, two letters criticizing his preaching, a picture of him as a 12 year old boy) - but that’s for another day.

This day I want to share with you a thought that has sparked in my mind many times since...

Someday you will walk out of your front door for the last time - what will you leave behind?

Someday you will shut up your computer to never open it again - what will be in your history file?

Someday you will have your last encounter with email - will you be proud of what you last said?

Someday you will attend your last worship service - will you have put your heart into it?

Someday you will see your spouse, kids to not see them again - what will be your last words to them?

Someday you will answer your last phone call - will you leave as an encourager?

The thing is you do not know when that will be: It could be today or tomorrow, it could be an accident, a sudden sickness, a brutal attack, or even the sudden return of the Lord...

Someone will go through what you left behind, your stuff, your desk, your computer files, your closet. They will be looking for something.  Don’t make it something to assure them of your love, your faith, what was important to you - they should ever know those things.

Someday...so live aware and live prepared.

Romans 14:13; Hebrews 4:13; 2 Peter 3:11