This Life vs. Eternity

My aunt died Christmas morning, and as often happens when someone I care about leaves this earth, her death has had me thinking about life - its purpose and its brevity. My aunt was a wonderful woman - hard-working, full of joy and with a big heart - who lived 78 good years on this earth. She had a life well-lived.

Any one familiar with the Baltimore Catechism knows that we were made to know, love, and serve God and to share eternal life with Him in heaven. Regular readers of my blog also know that I do have a fascination with life on the other side. I like to read stories of those who have had near-death experiences -to have a glimpse of what the other side might look like. After all, in terms of eternity, the amount of time we spend on this earth is like a grain of sand on the beach. We are going to be spending a lot more time there than we are here.

In that light, probably 99 % of what we worry about or concern ourselves with here on earth doesn't matter at all. Think over your life. What were your concerns 10 years ago, 5 years ago, last year? Do they still matter? Will they matter when you are on your deathbed? Yet, we spend so much time and energy on them.

I do try to make the most out of life. I do believe (at least on my good days) that life is a gift. I also believe it is a test - that a great deal is riding on how we live out our life. Suffering has a purpose. Sacrifice out of love is often the order of the day. I also think that life is meant to be enjoyed a bit - that God created this wonderful, beautiful world for us to appreciate. I often struggle to find a balance between the sacrifice and the enjoyment.

Trying to figure out what matters in the long haul isn't easy. Even though we are eternal beings, destined for something better than this existence, for the time being, this is where we are. God has a reason for creating us and putting us here. We have daily duties and responsibilities. We have vocations to live out, jobs to do. We have been given certain gifts and the responsibility to use them. We have been given the commandments to follow.. Sometimes, it is all too easy to get caught up in the nitty-gritty of life and lose sight of the big picture.

I'm most likely at least half done my life. I hope that when God decides to bring me home, I will have fulfilled my purpose on this earth. There are so many things about life and death I don't understand. I just get up every day and try to do the best I can. When I fail, I get up the next day and try again, even when I don't want to. I hope that what I do each day and how I choose to live my life matters, but I'm really not sure. I hope in the promise of eternal life, even though I don't know what it holds. Life and death are both such a mystery. All I can do is take things on faith, trust in God, and hope for the best.