Lately, I have been reminded of finality. Last week, one of the planes that my company owns crashed in a field in Colorado. Two people lost their lives in a tragic accident that came from nowhere. It taught me that my experience can teach me about my past, but it can't prepare me for all parts of my future. My life on this earth is at best only a sparkle in the eye of eternity, and sometimes finality comes like a lightning strike.


A very close friend of mine is smack in the middle of a true-life hard spot, and finances are putting the squeeze on his sanity. In fact, I have several friends that are in this same kind of situation. Their circumstances are different, but they all have the same rock and hard spot that hovers over them. I don't have to look very far to see my own set of ominous figures on the horizon. It's ironic that my past holds both hope and conviction, but faith in my reason for hope takes care of all conviction. Finality in this view is an unseen possibility - it could be a breath of fresh air, or a chance to start again. In either case, this finality will be the end of something while something else begins. Faith is a beautiful thing.


In my opinion, our world is in a stage of finality. Events that transpire daily point to the end of things in different world arenas. Finances seemingly stand on the precipice of failure, balancing unstable trust with a history of lies and deception. It has become a look at when and not if collapse will visit the global standard of frivolous living. The truth is that many in the world are not as fortunate as the most "successful," and a pruning of the money tree is probably what is needed.

Terrorism keeps people fearful of going out in the streets of many foreign countries. Sadly, the pictures that I see scrolling on the evening news point out that those homes that they find sanctuary in are being destroyed as well. War and conflict have been the one thing that seems to always outlast change in our world, and the conflict in Israel brings me to tears.

There are many examples of things that bring depression and dismay to our evening dinner table conversation, but only one delivers true peace and hope every time. My faith in Jesus allows me to look at my life as it relates to the timeline of infinity. Existence on this earth is but a dash mark in the long line that awaits me. Hope, peace, and love give me stability here, and cause me to look towards the heavens with anticipation of a true-life "stimulus package." Times like the present make me all the more happy that God has compassion for failures like me.


On a separate note:

As we celebrate the inauguration of a new president tomorrow, please take a moment to say a prayer for this man. His election has ushered in a healing of racial tensions that inflicted wounds many years ago. His supporters have been able to see hope in a new light, but extremists will likely see tomorrow as an opportunity. Please pray for safety for our country during this time of transition. Lets pray that people will see his election as the work of the hand of Almighty God. We celebrate a man today in Dr. King that would ask the same. He stood for dignity and equality, and he qualified that stance with his life of dedication to the cause of Christ.

Today, "Happy MLK Day" rings with truer meaning than any other time in my life.