Shortly before he dies, the person who gave Adam the 'gift' to fast-forward life reveals himself as the 'angel of death'. And it immediately gave me a revelation of the true nature of Christs words in John 10:9-11:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
mayhave life, and have it to the full."
I felt really sad for Adam Sandlers character in the movie, but even more, I felt sad for myself and the many other men and women in this country who let life pass them by in the vain attempt to grab more and more stuff. More security, more money, more things. We work long hours, often past 7pm. We give our best efforts to our careers that never provide the security we desire, meanwhile our families get the scraps of our time and attention.
I heard a pastor say once "I've spent time with many people as they lay waiting to die on their death beds, and I have never heard any of them say 'I wish I spent more time in the office'."
We all know that is true, but we never seem to apply that lesson to our own life until it's too late.
When I was relaxing during my honeymoon in beautiful Ubud, I wrote that I would no longer give my best attention to my career while avoiding my family. I will forsake promotions and raises if it means spending the quality time with my family that we all deserve. It wasn't long after I returned until I found myself once again, in the office up to 7pm. But it wasn't to gun for the promotion - it was simply to achieve my daily tasks. The demands of big business never cease.
I saw alot of myself in that movie. I am always looking ahead, and rarely enjoying each moment as I experience it. While I am not one who worries about promotions, etc, I do worry about the future alot. Where will I be in 5, 10, 15 years? Will my children have a safe and comfortable life with a roof over their head, attending the best schools, going on the best holidays? What must I sacrifice now to give them that? What will I sacrifice at the time to maintain that?
I've come to believe that Jesus' words are just as relevant today (if not more so), than they were when first spoken 2000 years ago (Matthew 6:24-26)
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and lovethe
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
both God and Money.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more importantthan
food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds ofthe air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenlyFather
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Why do we put our trust in our career? We are disappointed time after time with mass redundancies, and bottom-line cost-cutting mentality. Yet we keep hanging on, hoping that it will come through for us at the end.
Why not commit yourself fully to God? Accept your job as a gracious gift from the Father, but entrust yourself fully to His care. Believe that your heavenly Father is your provider and that your job / career is his means of provision. And treat your job as though you would treat any other gift given from your Father - with respect. Do your best for your company, but not at the expense of your family, personal life, and integrity.
'Click' helped to give me a reality check. Embrace every moment of life. Don't worry what tomorrow will bring, because all we have is today!
