For I am but a sojourner with you, a wayfarer, as all my forbears were.
- Psalm 39, v. 14
This psalm, read in its entirety, speaks to me of the shortness of life. The writer David is painfully aware that life is transient and makes the point that it must be lived for the Lord. We know death is certain, but it is also unexpected. While life is short, we are told that God is eternal. So what are we to do with this information? Verse 8 may help. “And now what is my hope? Oh Lord, my hope is in you.” How can we live for God and put our hope in the eternal? One action is to try and go through the day having more conscious contact with a higher purpose, a higher calling outside of our own immediate wants and needs. We can shift our perspective and live a life more oriented to serving and helping others, in small and big ways. We can spend more time and energy putting another person’s wellbeing and needs ahead of our own. We can make things slightly better for someone else. We can try and do more of what really matters.
I have had the privilege of practicing law for over 40 years. In looking back on hundreds of clients and cases, one stands out. It is when I volunteered to handle an adoption of a little boy whose mother had a serious drug addiction and was incapable of continuing to care for him. We were able to place him in a loving home. For the next few years, at Christmas time, I would receive a card with a picture of the family. Sitting at my desk, I would open the card and inevitably tears would start running down my cheeks, sometimes uncontrollably; true tears of joy. I did nothing extraordinary or superhuman. I just showed up and volunteered to help.
Think about your own lives and where you have made a difference or had a big impact on someone or a situation that brings you great joy or satisfaction. It might surprise you what you discover. I believe God calls us to be available, sometimes in big ways, but many times in small, but impactful ones. All we have to do is listen and then take the appropriate action.
Life is short, may we focus more on what truly matters and try to make someone else’s life a little better in 2022 and beyond.
Musical Reflection - I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger - Jos Slovick
