In light of recent events, i'll have to deter from my scheduled Project R blog post and deliver with another substitute as much of my thoughts have gone elsewhere at the moment.
In IM2 Tony Stark needs to find a new source of energy in order to live, otherwise he'll die of poison from the palladium in his arc reactor. Thus he starts living his life in light of his impending doom as his rocks the Iron Man armor at his birthday. He then appoints Pepper as CEO and starts looking for the last bits of enjoyment in life. The point of this is that his life has just been taken a sharp turn towards a dead end. He sees that life might not be around in a few days or weeks and decides to act upon it. His life has been cut short.
ok. for those that skipped...here's what you missed:
Life is short.
And the reason i bring this up is that i've been hearing this said a lot more lately than ever before.
I mean, one of my roommates put up three pieces of paper with each of those words on a sheet on his wall. hahahaha, he had them stacked on top of each other before he spread them out and i went into his room and flipped through the three. curiosity got the best of me there....ahhaha. :D
a daily dose of real talk mentions it in her part1 of her piece ensemble. [[here]]
from the prodigal had the most amazing post last week about it and you should definitely check it out [[here]]
IMO it's a direct correlation with the fact that my class/age group is graduating and is starting to nostalgia/transition/grow from everything that occurred within their collegiate careers.
There's just so much to digest over a packed 4 year span. However, there is another fact that has been thrown into the mix of why people are thinking life is short; one of our friends from AACF passed away this past weekend. Andee Bee
The knowledge of this just shocked me.
(i'll pick this up in a second, just follow me...)
I recently have been thinking about my future. I plan on interning this summer at Lighthouse Community Church, and following that, I plan on going into seminary (hopefully at TMS). If you asked me at pretty much any point previous to this year what i was going to do, it would have not been doing ministry. I just didn't see myself doing anything more than short term missions or something along those lines[very limited in my thinking]. However, God has showed me different than whatever i had previously planned for myself. He humbled me, and tbh, I didn't see this coming at all. He straight up blindsided me with not only his truth, but his love. There was one fact at the end of a conversation that my mom had with me that really made an impact. it was that i never really had a passion for much: Math, Science, or anything like that [LOL academia, jk...but seriously :D]. I do, though, have a deep love for my savior Christ and the work of His kingdom. This is the only thing i do have a deep conviction for, tbh. Thus i started to think, to pray, and to digest this as a vocation. And i realized, there's nothing more amazing to me than a life of full time ministry. i mean you get to go to work and read the Word. that's so ill. :D
so how does this relate to: life is short and Andee Bee?
it has everything to do with it! let me say this...
Andee knew that i would one day become a pastor!
woah woah woah!!!
what are you saying here jt?!?!
stay with me...cuz this is pretty redonk...
ever since i met Andee back in our first year, she started calling me Pastor JT. i honestly thought it was a joke, but she was always sincere in it. like, really sincere. im pretty darn sure no one else held this view of me, especially my parents [lol].
and then i remember coming back from retreat in our second year, and she was just encouraging me in this and what she felt i would one day do. i thought it was completely ridiculous and (even hilarious) that she would say something like that. i feel so much like sarah, now, hearing that she would be preggers while barren and then became pregnant. i laughed at Andee's thought and in my mind pushed it aside. the fact was that i didn't believe it at all.
press FF and we end up here in our 4th year, almost graduating and now Andee has gone to be with her Savior. And what she said about me, has a good chance to come into fruition. I don't know what or how this all happened, but undoubtably it was orchestrated for a reason, that being to give God glory. Her passing has literally come at a most crucial point in my own life as i decide where to take the next step. I don't think i could count this all as anything short of providential as her words of encouragement have made a crazy impact over the last few days. it's now become something i'll remember for life. this is our wall to wall over last year.
what does this all mean?
well, for one, Andee's life has made a huge impact upon mine. It's crazy that over the past years, we drifted and hadn't talked, but she still would call me Pastor JT.
for another, life is short. As humans, we just can't comprehend what eternity is like. we're so enwrapped in being temporal beings that the thought of life without an end is hard to imagine. but this life will end and the next will begin. we need to live in light of an eternal perspective. make sure that God's glory is your number one concern. it's the #1 thing we need to live for.
i'll leave this post with a poem. please pray for andee's family and fiance during this time.
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say,"Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "twas worth it all";
Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.
-Anon
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