All of us dread that call from our doctor, when he phones and tells us that we need to "come in and see him right away". This is often the next step after we have noticed something awry with our body and have gone for some medical tests to help clarify the problem. But even though we know something is wrong, none of us want to get any bad news.
A couple months back I started to experience some pain and discomfort out of the ordinary. I have been blessed with good health up to this point in my life, and a trip to see Dr. F is usually a last resort for me.
But I had these stories ringing in my head about guys who always ignore their physical warning signs from their bodies until things are to late and end up paying for it – sometimes dearly. So in I went and, sure enough, a diagnosis has come back that things are out of whack.
Right now I have come through the anxious stage of the unknown and fearing the worst.
What's the worst? Well, in our society, when your doctor informs you about the big "C" word (cancer). I have to admit, that was the foremost thought in my mind.
What if it's cancer?
I have been living some of that "anxious unknown" over the past couple months. What if? Those two little words have sucked the life out of so many of us as we have invested huge amounts of lost energy into the future, fearing the worst. I find myself in the midst of a bunch of tests right now, and am starting to get some clarity into my health situation.
I have been blessed with health throughout my life thus far. I thank my God for that – it is a gift of His grace.
The reality is that these bodies of ours are on borrowed time. I was profoundly impacted when I watched the Nickleback song, Savin' Me, seeing those clocks running down over everyone's heads, representing how much time we have left in our lives on this earth.
The Bible says that "it is appointed for man once to die once, and after that comes judgment."
None of us will live forever. We are all going to die. We know that – but we still fight that reality.
We all assume we will gracefully grow old and then gently pass from this world in our sleep.
That may be the case for many of us, but in reality we just don't know when our time is up.
The Bible calls our physical bodies "frail tents."
If you have ever been camping in a tent when a wild storm hits, this image of our bodies hits home. Tents are only a temporary dwelling – not meant to be dwelt in forever.
Our lives here on earth are but a blip in light of eternity. We were created for more than just the here and now, but yet so much of our existence is built around our earthly existence.
This reality has come home to me in a fresh way as I have pondered my own health in light of eternity recently.
What really matters?
God stepped out of eternity into time – from heaven to earth – to demonstrate his love for us by sending his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins – yours and mine.
I have peace with God through Jesus.
No matter what happens here on earth, whether God grants me a long life or not, I know I will spend eternity in the presence of my Lord and God.
And in light of the uncertainty of what this life deals out, that matters a lot to me.
Duane Goerzen is lead pastor at Maple Ridge Community Church.