Where the Road Ends

I have been thinking about where the road ends as we approach Easter Sunday. Jesus says,” My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-4  

So, I know that the road ends in heaven with Jesus and my loved ones who have gone before me. But I don’t know when the road will end. It could be five years, forty years, or tomorrow. 

If it were tomorrow, would I have lived a life that reflects what truly matters to me? What does matter to me? What do I want to say to Jesus as He greets me at the end of the road? I want to say that I tried to live a life that expressed God’s love. 

What would that look like in my daily life? I hope the following steps will help me with this lifelong journey.

First, start the day by asking the Holy Spirit to help me express God’s love in my thoughts, words, and actions. Which of the many to-dos on my list are the most important from an eternal lens? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Someone once told me that important things are seldom emergencies, and emergencies are seldom important.  It makes me think of how often I want to call a loved one to tell them how much I love and appreciate them and then put it off as I try to cross one more “important” thing off my to-do list. 

Second, don’t sweat the small stuff. I highly recommend Dr. Richard Carlson’s book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…And It’s All Small Stuff.” Each page has a nugget of wisdom to help keep the little things of life from stealing our peace and joy. Three of my favorites are: 1)When you die, your inbox won’t be empty. 2) You can be right, or you can be happy. Those things are usually mutually exclusive, so choose your battles wisely. 3) Make peace with imperfection. 

This book reminds me that it doesn’t matter who left the empty juice carton in the refrigerator or that several items are still on my to-do list at the end of the day.

Third, remember that God is God. God is the omnipotent, omniscient one, not me.  It is when I forget that I feel small, fearful, and less than, which makes me far from loving or compassionate toward myself or others. This song helps me to recenter my focus on God.

Finally, remember who I am and whose I am. 

Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece.”

Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” 

Whether I believe God’s Word or my thoughts is up to me. 
I listen to this song when I need help with that choice. 

Patricia Wu