VITAL

 Recently I heard a sermon which began the wheels turning.  There was reference to our vital organs being hidden.  So once again, I went to the Creator Who was in the details of the first man and explored His creation.  God knew---those vital organs needed the most protection.  Life cannot be sustained without a heart or lungs or kidneys or  stomach, or  liver (there are more--consult the chart below).  Man has figured out a way to sustain life without kidneys---but the quality of that life is greatly diminished.  Man has determined how dialysis can keep us alive---but the artificial way ties us to a machine and often causes as many problems as it solves.  

I had a dear friend who in his final months had an external VAD to help his heart pump the blood necessary to sustain life.  The machine gave him more time here, but he could not be off that machine.  He carried it everywhere he went.  AND still, due to advanced heart disease he was severely limited in what he could do.

There is a machine that can help us breathe which is called a ventilator.  It usually leads to the placement of of PEG tube to supply the needed nutrition.  SO, though man has been smart enough to come up with ways to sustain life when some of our vital organs do not work or have been removed, the quality of life is NOT what was provided by the original organs of the body.

Finally, I thought of the brain.  There is no substitute for the brain and it has-perhaps the greatest amount of protection with the surrounding skull.  I suppose there could someday be the creation of a machine to substitute for the brain---today's equivalent is the computer.  The question then becomes---are we really still here with a computer for a brain?  What about the limitations of a computer---can it experience emotions, will it desire community, will memories be only stored RAM unlike the complexity of the neurons in a real brain?

YES---we are made up of a network of vital organs whose job it is to sustain our lives.  As I thought this over, I began to reflect on our souls.  NOT a vital organ---but the essential part of who we are.  The one part which never dies---but instead transfers from an earthly home to an eternal home.  What is the protector of the soul?  NOW--I have jumped off into the deep end--but with limited theological education---I believe God is our soul's protector. God gave us Jesus so that our soul might be with Him in eternity.  AND He gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to guide us.   Think this over---it is a deep pool and bears consideration.  Who is protecting your soul?

"You are my mighty rock,

my fortress,

my PROTECTOR,

the rock where I am safe,

my shield,

my powerful weapon,

and my place of shelter."

Psalm 18:2

FOREVERMORE

 Another blog topic from this great book

One of the principle characters in this book is suffering from a heart condition which will shorten his life.  He is young.  The young can be so wise.  They have not suffered from the taint and corruption of humanity in their thinking.  He asks a question which his sister is charged with answering.  In C. S. Lewis's great classic, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe where did Mr. Lewis get the idea for Narnia and is there really a Narnia?

The question was asked, but the answer is so much more than a simple map or idea.  Along the road to the quest for "Where?", the question of "How?" was answered.  I suppose we are all curious about Heaven, but we do not need to become so focused on Heaven that we forget the beauty of Here and Now.  The quest for the Narnia of the future was taking the beauty from the Here and Now.  "He wanted to know if it's true that there's something more when this something ends."  The sister became consumed with the legalistic answering of the question, the ailing brother knew all along it was much more important to live life to the fullest in the moment.  The author wisely tells us~

"Maybe Narnia also began when Mr. Lewis sat quietly and paid attention to his heart's voice.  Maybe we are each and every one of us born with our own stories, and we must decide how to tell those stories with our own life, or in a book.  OR ....could it be that all our stories come from one larger story."  

The younger ailing brother understood the deep meaning behind living in the moment.  "Some of us are born closer to the end of our story than others and he was one."

A sad ending?  No, you see the young boy left the legacy of though I will be gone your story has not ended.  I really want you to live your story to the fullest and cherish the time we had together.  Do not stop living--do no become bogged down in your grief, but continue onward in your story and live it abundantly.  We will meet again in Narnia someday.

"You made known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at the right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11

WHAT' S AHEAD

 SIDE NOTE

I recently had a good friend ask me about a post and why it did not correspond with her daily Bible reading--since we are reading the same plan.  Keep in mind, I write these blogs about two weeks before they are published.  This allows me time to chew on what I have said, reread and proof and sometimes even delete, after I have thought it over.  I also am a few days ahead on my daily devotional to keep my OCD at bay.  Something might happen and I might get behind--HEAVEN HELP ME!

I am not crazy - (well maybe a little)

Think about the sign

Men ~ Working Ahead

Speaking of ahead---stay with me a moment of loose association coming.  We are in the waning days of winter here in the Deep South.  Mother Nature will give us a day or two--sometimes a few days of Spring like weather as Spring approaches.  She likes to tease us and remind us of what is coming (ahead).  Today I am sitting here before my warm gas log fire, inside my warm house, with my warmest fleece on, looking out at grey skies with near freezing temperatures and a steady light rain falling.  The only thing I like about this kind of weather is watching it from the warmth of my home.  I do not want to leave home for any circumstances.  BUT the Wonder Dog has to have his walks-😖

I am anticipating wonderful spring like days to come while enduring yet another few days of frigid wet cold weather.  Just about the time we think we can not endure another day of this short stint of winter, we have a reprieve to remind us of what is coming.  Warm days, blue skies, trees leafed out, flowers blooming are all right around the corner.  I can see the trees beginning to bud out, it is time to put the feeders out to greet the returning humming birds, and I have begun receiving emails from all the nurseries to order my plants.  Spring is coming!

We will have a few brief weeks of Spring and then summer will be upon us.  Then we will endure months of heat and humidity which drives us back into the house or to the pool.  Then we have the respite of fall and those perfect fall days.  Those days are always short lived since we have only a few short weeks between the stifling days of summer to the first frost of the season.

As I thought this over, I realized these seasons of the year and the anticipation of those perfect days are a great analogy of our anticipation of the peace that will come with entering the next realm in the presence of God.  Life can be very difficult---we have feet of clay and make it even more difficult than intended.  Just as we begin to think we cannot endure another moment of the pain and strife we are in the midst of----God give us a moment of peace---a glimpse of what is to come.   Those glorious peace filled days in the midst of this trek through life are a reminder of the promise of Eternal Spring.  The perfection that can only be found in the presence of God Almighty is coming.  It is just ahead.

"For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and they serve Him day and night in His temple;

and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

They will no longer thirst,

 nor will the sun beat down on them,

nor any scorching heat;

for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd,

and will guide them to spring of the water of life;

and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

Revelations 7:15-17

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

 Beginnings can be a mixed bag of pain and pleasure.  The beginning of each of us is no different at the end of the day.  Pain is often associated with the process of birth.  (IF you accomplished it with no pain, you should patent your process and sell it!)  OH, but the reward for enduring that pain makes it all so worthwhile.  

Grand #7

I vividly remember the birth of my three all those years ago.  The sweet first touch of that precious gift, the wonderful smell of a little tiny baby, the soft downy hair, and the smooth unblemished skin.  The deep joy of holding that tiny baby with little parts which one day will grow to be full sized.  I am so thankful I also spent an extended period with each grand after they were born.  Soaking in those miraculous first few weeks of being in this world.  Each of their mothers endured pain, but the pain was a small price to pay for the promise of the joy to come.

Yes, coming into this world can be a painful process, but the reward is glorious.

Many of us have stood by our loved ones and watched them leave this world.  Some manage to slip painlessly away, but I would venture to say, the majority of us will not.  Death can be a painful process.  One of my oft repeated words of wisdom is 

WE DO NOT GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE

Death, like birth is a process we all must experience.  One of my grandmothers had a stroke raking the yard ~ WHAT A GIFT!  I would love to go down serving until the very last breath.  We do not (with the rare exception) get to choose how we leave this world.  Many of us will endure some pain in the process of leaving.  We endure the pain and then we are gone.

OH, but for The Believer, there is more to come.  We endure the pain and then our reward is more than glorious.  It is the beginning beyond our wildest dream.  The joy will fill the very depths of us as we gaze upon the face of Jesus.  

Beginnings and Endings are a necessary part of life.  There will be pain associated with our coming and going.  OH, but the joy we can experience as we cross that bridge entering and leaving makes any pain quickly forgotten.  There is such joy present at birth, but for the Believer there is a greater joy of knowing there is more to come~ a Glorious Eternity in the presence of Jesus.

"And now , dear brothers and sisters

we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died

so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus has died 

and was raised to life again,

we also believe that when Jesus returns,

God will bring back with Him the believers who have died."

I Thessalonians 4:13-14

NEEDING A PLAN

 There comes a point in life when we begin to realize we need to plan for retirement.  I always had a plan, but the plan went into high gear once that last bird had flown the nest.

Most of us put together a retirement plan or at a minimum give it a great deal of thought.  Perhaps the plan is more than how to finance our retirement.  Perhaps it includes a list of places we would like to visit, things we would like to do, or the overused 

For years the idea of some day retiring was what kept me going on those really long and trying days at work.  A simple day dream about some mountain top, sandy shore,  good book, long meaningful discussion without feeling guilt over what has not been done was the catalyst to keep me headed to that retirement finish line.  

At some point, the finish line is finally within our sight and we are at a full sprint trying to get across it.  As we step across the line, we might begin to question exactly how well did we prepare?  Will I have enough funds, will my health hold out, or there pandemics or natural disasters in my future?  As much as we plan and think we are prepared, there are going to be bumps in the road, disasters in our path and full out road closed signs to stop our progress of fulfilling our long dreamed of plans.  

Look at this statistic I found

 As of September 14, 2021, the number of both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of the COVID-19 disease reported in the United States had reached 41.3 million and around 660 thousand deaths were reported among these cases.

That is now over 660,000 Americans whose retirement plan has met a full out 

 One thing I am certain of - none of these 660,000 individuals had death by COVID in their retirement plan.  

Where am I going?  Do we need a plan when there are so many unknowns and variables which can thwart those plans?  If we have no control over how this will all play out, why make a plan to only have it fall apart?  I am trying to stick to the plan, but know it can be changed in the blink of an eye.  When the plan is not working, it is time to make a change by being flexible.  Make a plan, do our best to follow it, but know that all plans are subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control.  BE FLEXIBLE!

The only retirement plan which I know requires no need for change is our eternal plan.  We can prepare for our retirement from this terrestrial ball and know that if we have done what is needed to ensure eternal life---our plan will come to fruition.  Our retirement from planet earth will  begin the next season of eternal life in the presence of Jesus.  If we have followed the plan, done all that was required to enjoy the next season, it will go exactly as promised.  We will enjoy retirement in paradise exactly as planned.

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

John 11:25