One Foot Here and One Foot There

This year I will turn seventy years of age. I’m much closer to the end than I am from the start. So, what have I learned?

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) “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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

A while back in time there used to be a bumper sticker that read, “He who dies with the most toys wins!”  Usually, you would see them on RVs and boat trailers. Now I understand actually what a sad thing it was. Toys fall so short of the joy and pleasure of God’s love. I fished a lot. I played golf a lot. I drank a lot. I partied a lot. All of which turned out to be a complete waste of time and also money.

The hole in my soul was too big for anything other than the Holy Spirit to fill. I lost a lot of years. About 30 to be exact! Now, as I push on towards eternity, I understand that the real treasures are spiritual. And they are what we store up in heaven. Nobody can steal them from us. They are protected by the one and only Son of God.

As I get rid of stuff, I find the Lord Holy Spirit replacing them with love and joy and peace. I love His children more each day. His voice in scripture is becoming clearer. And mercy and truth overrun any dainties of the world. I live in splendor now. Each new bend in the river of life brings an amazing view of special wonders reserved for those who will drop all to follow Christ. I should never have left the way!

Colossians 3:1-3 (ESV) “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So here, nearing the end of my race, I am determined to sprint the last dash to eternal freedom. And although I have one foot here, my other foot is with Christ. And I’m just barely beginning to figure out what Paul meant when he said, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.”

“He who dies with the least toys wins!”

Amen?