One Single Moment

Something that has appeared increasingly sweet to me in the past month is justification. "...he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." It says that in John 5:24. Take that in... "...he who BELIEVES... has passed from death into life." A fraction of a second. Such a miniscule amount of time passes between unbelief and belief. A fraction of a second. One second you are alienated from God; the next second, you are embraced as a child. One second. Justification happens instantaneously. The second you put your trust in Jesus Christ, your eternity has just shifted. A second is all it takes. One second, you're stumbling in darkness; the next second you see the light. One second you're headed straight for the punishment you've earned, the next second, you're headed towards eternal blessing and greater joy than you could ever imagine in the deep recesses of your heart. One second, the verdict in heaven read "guilty", the next second, it read "acquitted". In a single, minuscule, seemingly insignificant second, the eternal destiny of a precious human soul has been changed.

And every life is connected. Other eternities shift when one does. We live out our days amidst so much seeming insignificance and drudgery but our lives are part of a chain reaction that is forever changing the face of reality. Every action or inaction we do or don't do is impacting a thousand processes at work in the world today. Eternities are being molded and shaped by every word we speak, every look we have on our face, and every act of service and love we do. Eternities. are being. molded. When you go to church, you are impacting this world in some way. When you say a harmful word, you are impacting eternity for the worse. When you speak well and glorify God, you are impacting peoples' eternities for the better! Every moment of your life, you're impacting the lives and destinies of others.

Pretty sobering, huh? Let this affect how you live your life today. Then come back and tell me some stories. :-)

Learning the Music

I sit in a darkened valley. The sweet smell of the flowers pervades the air. The distant rush of sweet, mountain waters fills my ears. The heat is palpable. Behind me stands my Instructor. Twenty years I've been here practicing. Twenty years of frustration and discouragement. Twenty years trying to get it right but stumbling over the simple notes of this melody. What tune is it? Is a piece penned by Beethoven? A composition by Mozart? A symphony by Liszt or Salieri? No. You know this piece. Everyone knows it. Mary Had a Little Lamb.

I know. You don't need to say anything! I know it's pathetic that I'm still messing up this ridiculously easy tune. I've had twenty years to get discouraged with myself. Twenty years to realize how truly daft I am. My opinion of myself couldn't be much lower. The only thing is...

It's Him. He's been here those twenty years with me. There have been times where I've been ready to quit trying. In fact, there have been times when I've actually thrown in the towel. "No sense in keeping this up," I say. "You've seen how slow I am to learn and how easy I am to forget. Come on, Teacher! Let's part ways! There are other, more talented students you could be teaching. You're much too important and your gifts are too great to be wasted on a dunce like me!" But he says no...

"Come on, Wes. Just sit down. Let's NOT part ways. And of course there are other more talented students than you out there! I'm glad you realize that. But what does that have to do with anything? You see, when I finally get YOU to play, that's going to make me look GREAT! Besides... I know you... you want to play. You want to improve. So come on back and try again."

And as I delicately put my hands on the keys again, I feel Him lean in and put His hands on my shoulders. I feel the hot wave of breath on the hair near my ear. "Someday, Wes... someday we'll stun the angelic choirs with the music you play. Someday. Just keep practicing."