 |  |  |
Although I haven't accomplished much in the way of writing novels, the good news is that I survived the first week of home schooling, and I painted a bookshelf, four more windows, and the front door. While I'm painting, I like to listen to old school country music (Allen Jackson radio on Pandora via my iPhone) to help pass the time. My favorite country music is the kind that tell stories that have a deeper message within them. Like Randy Travis' "Three Wooden Crosses."
Many of my friends and fans know that my brother-in-law has a rare form of blood cancer and received a stem cell transplant on August 23rd. As I listened to this song today while I was painting another window, I thought about how fleeting our lives are and how every day is a gift. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. The outlook for my brother-in-law isn't great. He has been fighting high fevers since receiving the stem cells (lovingly donated by his brave fourteen year old son). As I listened to the lyrics, I thought about the poignant truth woven into the song:
"There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go."
Many of my friends and fans know that my brother-in-law has a rare form of blood cancer and received a stem cell transplant on August 23rd. As I listened to this song today while I was painting another window, I thought about how fleeting our lives are and how every day is a gift. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. The outlook for my brother-in-law isn't great. He has been fighting high fevers since receiving the stem cells (lovingly donated by his brave fourteen year old son). As I listened to the lyrics, I thought about the poignant truth woven into the song:
"There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go."
As I was painting, I meditated on this concept: It's what you leave behind you when you go... It's easy to get caught up in "the American Dream" of chasing success and accumulating stuff, but neither of these things have any lasting value. The things that matter most are invisible to the naked eye, are of spiritual and emotional significance: sharing the message of God's redemption through Jesus Christ; raising our children to flourish and to love God and others; showing kindness and compassion to those in need, physically or emotionally.
When your time on this earth comes to an end, and your family pens your eulogy or plans the epitaph for your headstone, what will they say? Will they be able to speak the truth or will they have to varnish it over to make it sound better?
Each of us are given a limited amount of time on the planet. Use it wisely. Think about what it is that you will leave behind.
And if you want to know why there are only three wooden crosses, instead of four, on the right side of the highway, listen to this song. It's well worth your time.
When your time on this earth comes to an end, and your family pens your eulogy or plans the epitaph for your headstone, what will they say? Will they be able to speak the truth or will they have to varnish it over to make it sound better?
Each of us are given a limited amount of time on the planet. Use it wisely. Think about what it is that you will leave behind.
And if you want to know why there are only three wooden crosses, instead of four, on the right side of the highway, listen to this song. It's well worth your time.
| |
RSS Feed