Life and the Umbrella
Martha and I were at the
beach for the first time in years. It was really good to get away and have some
down time. I guess maybe I went too “down” because as I sat on the beach I
began to contemplate what would happen to the umbrella if it were left there
forever. Left exposed to the elements, constant wind and sun, rain and storms,
and even the wildlife, the fabric would begin to deteriorate, the metal would
rust, the plastic would crack, and eventually the whole thing would be consumed
back into the earth from whence it came.
I then had an epiphany. It
occurred to me that everything manmade moves toward decay, destruction, and
death. If left to its own, anything man begins will come to an end. Physics
calls this entropy. It’s the very reason I do not believe in evolution. But I
digress.
When a female’s egg meets up
with the male sperm, a single cell, a zygote, is formed. Inside of this one
cell is enough energy to grow a human and live a life of 80 to 90 years, and
beyond, in a world that is trying to kill it at every turn. That is one amazing
cell! One of the reasons this is called conception is because it is the instant
that God “joins” Sprit and flesh. Physically, the egg and sperm unite.
Spiritually, in the same instant a human spirit is birthed out of God’s Spirit
and placed within the new life.
Together, physical and
Spirit, a journey begins that will take this person through a life full of
growth, discovery, development, trials, failures, and successes, until the
forces of nature takes it back to the ground from whence it came. The main
difference between a human life and an umbrella is the difference it will have
made during the process.
Objects, such as umbrellas,
are useful inventions of man to help productivity or diminish hardships.
People, however, have the ability to positively or negatively affect their
environment. They have the ability to create or destroy, to bring life or
death, to do good or evil. The determining factor in the outcome of human
existence is how well we adapt to the Spirit that is in us. The only way we can
optimize our presence in the earth is for our spirit to have an encounter with
Jesus Christ, His atonement for sin, and then re-joined with the Holy Spirit to
live our lives on purpose for our Maker, Jehovah God.
Don’t just sit through life
waiting to be made back into dirt. Maximize the time you have by living every
moment for the God that created you. Some call it “Finding Your Why”, or “Live
Your Dash”, or many other catchy hooks coined by authors. My favorite way to
phrase it comes from Ephesian where Paul says, “Be to the praise of the glory
of His grace.” I cannot think of a more simple way to say it.
