The Hope of Tomorrow

I sit here next to a frail woman I have known for only a few weeks. Yet it is in this short time I have come to respect her courage, her love and undeniable devotion to 2 young grand kids that she has raised as her own. Each of these boys demonstrate a strength of character, respect for others and a courage of their own - a testimony to this woman. She did so despite having most every disadvantage life has to offer. She was alone, she had minimal resources and minimal education. By all accounts, her ability to produce something good would not be likely. Yet, she defied the odds and did in fact demonstrate that she was able to do small things with a great amount of love. And the small things have grown to be big things and 2 young boys have grown into men who emulate the best of what they experienced in their grandmother.
Her time on earth will not be much longer. She labors for breath but I pray she has peace in her mind. Just days earlier, we talked about what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His promise of forgiveness. I asked her how this made her feel. She said, "It makes my conscience clear so that I can sleep at night." What a beautiful description of what our heart expresses when we understand - truly understand the peace of God through trust in Him.
It is times like these that I am reminded that life is a vapor. And if our hope in Christ is in this life alone, we are of all men most to be pitied (1Cor 15:19). Our world is broken. Sickness and disease are results of the curse of sin and death we cannot avoid.
It causes me to wonder if we should be living in the moment as is often said during times like this. A reminder that time is short and for that reason it is a true statement. But not entirely true because this moment, no matter how good, pales in comparison to what is to come. Perhaps it is better to live for the hope of tomorrow. That inevitable day when Christ returns or takes us home to be with Him. That is when all that we hope for and dream about will become reality. The moment, however good, is a shadow of what God has prepared for us as His children. The moment is corrupted and will never come close to eternity with Christ our Saviour. The hope of tomorrow is what He died for and for that reason alone, it is what we should live for.

"Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge"— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you." (1 Timothy 6:12-21, NASB95)