Here and Now, Then and There

I have a friend who used to pastor a church twice as big as Hudson. He now has ALS and is in the process of dying. He is in the very small percentage of people who have the slow moving type of ALS so he may live several more years. He is still a relatively young man but is now pastor emeritus. We were talking and it was one of those moments when someone opens up when you don't expect it. He told me about how his father used to call him and want to not just talk about the Bible but read the Bible to him over the phone. He said his dad would read 2 or 3 chapters sometimes and the whole time my friend would be checking his watch and waiting for his dad to finish so he could get back to work. I could understand. He was the pastor of a church of 6000. He had a lot to do. But not now. Now he was sitting next to me and all his responsibilities were gone and he was missing his dad. He got choked up when he told me he missed his dad reading the Bible to him over the phone. Yesterday a plane traveling from New York to Charlotte had birds fly into the engines and the plane ended up in the Hudson river. When I saw the image on television I was sure no one had survived. Miraculously, everyone did. I found out today one of my friends was on that flight. His name is Rick and he is a very busy, very successful man. I like Rick a lot. We have had many talks about faith and Jesus but Rick hasn't ever responded. He will talk and discuss but he hasn't really felt the need for Jesus. I wonder if this event has changed that. I am sure it has made him think about priorities, about balance, about his family. I hope it has made him think about the long distance future. Anyway, two friends. One who regrets not paying attention to the present. One I fear has not thought enough about the future. Life, real life is lived right in between don't you think? Today I want to live with one eye on the present and one eye on the future. I don't want to be so busy that I will one day regret the things I felt were inconveniences. But I don't want to be so wrapped up in the present that I fail to see that the end is coming some day and that day is always sooner than people expect. So, spend time today looking in the eyes of those around you and loving them for all you're worth while breathing a prayer to the God who loved you so much He even now prepares a place for you at His table.