The Great Beyond
Perhaps you are familiar with this saying: “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Of course, it sounds innocent enough. But 2020 has been cantankerous in some of the worst, most inconceivable ways. Time has not hurriedly flown anywhere, and right now certain types of fun are simply out of reach. Amid viral and racial contagion, life as we knew it has faded before our very eyes and without our permission. Even as we prepare to inaugurate 365 new days, buoyed by hope, the soon past's lingering demands remain distinct, relentless, and deadly. We have—all in our own ways—combated the disorientation of adjusting to a “new normal.” And it remains hard; easier for some and harder for others, but universal in its taxation. Without downplaying these hardships, I often remind myself and figure that I should remind you that nothing and no one will outlast God, and that goes for pandemics, too. As devastating as they are, their staying power is regulated by He who controls the waves.
The more years I accumulate, I discover that there is no avoiding humanity’s paradoxical fragility. This may be uncomfortable to hear, but it is important: On one specific day, at a place and time and via circumstances both indeterminable and not governed by humans, life down here will conclude. Those in Christ, saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), will be relocated, “absent from the body, to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8) Until such time, we are to enjoy God, faithfully stewarding the tension of the already but not yet Kingdom of God. Living in alternative, voyeuristic fantasies, chasing avatars and fake news is a waste of borrowed time, believe me. Yes, Jesus Christ is in route to return someday, and although what we fight for in the interim and how we fight for it matters a great deal, none of it is the prize. Stony is the road we trod, but it is better to spend one day serving God, though He slay us, than to ride the prevailing waves of greed, lust, or whatever else cheapens free will with the malady called self-sufficiency.
Politeness, our beloved sports teams, and favorite TV shows have their place, but we can’t use them or anything else as excuses to avoid the hard inward-outward work (James 2:14-26) that the Lord requires. Holiness has no cheat codes or shortcuts. (1 Peter 1:16) I cannot do your work for you and you cannot do my work for me, but don't buy into the lie that there is no work for the people of God to do, or that the work is easy. It is not, but we are not doing it on our own. Whatever we face, we face it in Triune community, strengthened by God’s power, people, and Word. As you venture into the Great Beyond, as beautiful and scary as it is, remembering a Savior born in unsavory circumstances, heed this simple instruction from my colleague, Dr. Winn Collier: “Love big. Be well.” It is good for the soul.