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Inspiration Point The end, end "It's all going to be over pretty soon," Mark said. He sat on his four-wheeler. The house he was building towered above him and the hard frozen lake loomed before him. Mark is one of the hardest workers I know. Yet he complained about the futility of his labors, "I have lots of jobs. There's always somebody to pay . . . I'll never get rich." Then his conversation slipped to "the end." The end, end- the return of Jesus. Not a prophet, or a preacher, but a tired carpenter reflecting on a workingman's hunch. Is it all going to be over soon? Is he right? When asked, Jesus listed many end-time signs in Matthew 24: wars, rumors of wars, people falsely claiming to be the Messiah, increased lawlessness, love growing cold, etc. Yet Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only God." Instead of when is the end, shouldn't we preferably ask: are you ready? Mark rambled on as the cold wind off the lake chilled me. And my mind went back to a lunchtime conversation we had a few years prior. I asked him, "Where do you think you would end up if you died right now-- heaven or hell?" With only a slight hesitation he said, "Hell." He's realistic enough to admit that he's headed to the place of "outer darkness . . . weeping and gnashing of teeth." As my mind returned to the present, Mark revved the four wheeler a couple more times. "I'm going ice fishing." Jesus said, "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man (Jesus) will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." Maybe even when you're ice fishing. So be ready. Big changes "Graham has had big changes in his life this year," the letter said. I enjoy getting these occasional updates from my Aunt Cathy. You know, the brag-on-the-kidsand grandkids' letters. She wrote, "He is no longer an only child and he has started school." Even at five years old Graham is starting to encounter some challenging changes. We all know that changes, small to huge, can cause strain. Do you sometimes yearn for a simple unchanging existence? Many people do. Aunt Cathy's letter continued about Graham's changes. "He is full of questions about God and heaven right now. One afternoon Angie (his mom) found him prone on the floor with his face down and arms at his side. When asked what he was doing, he replied: 'I'm bowing down before God.' Another time she heard him talking in his room and asked him what he said. 'Oh, I was just talking to God,' was his reply." Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter in." I believe that; it's in the Bible. But why is it so hard to, with childlike faith, engage in Godlike ways? I have no doubt that God smiled when He observed Graham's behavior. I did when I read the letter. Graham's approach to God has reminded me of three things I need to do when big change strikes, actually even small change. I need to maintain an active curiosity about God and heaven. This is especially true as the swirl of distractions absorb too much of my life. I need to bow down; humble myself before God. God I need to rely on You more. Me less. And I need to talk to God; He has the bigchange answers.
Thanks Graham.
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