4-15-24<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This week I received a shocking response to a routine e-mail I sent to a friend. He told me that he had been sick and underwent surgery during which cancer in another organ was discovered. Factors have prevented chemotherapy treatment, and other palliatives evidently have failed. No number of his LOL<\/em>s could mask the prognosis: perhaps mere months to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pray, of course, that the diagnosis and timeline may be wildly off. But the news rocked me; and \u2013 as sometimes happens, \u201cbad news coming in bunches\u201d \u2013 I also learned this week of the passing of two professional associates. Sad for the quick and the dead, sad for their families. Sad for myself… as we tend immediately to internalize such news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking of mortality, I remember another friend who recently sustained two heart \u201cepisodes\u201d that were dangerous and still threaten her. And I had a flashback to my own experience last Fall at an appearance for my new book, where I collapsed in front of some dignitaries and C-SPAN cameras (not yet rolling). I am fine, yet I still dwell on mortality, especially again this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mortality<\/em> is the title of Abraham Lincoln\u2019s favorite poem. He committed William Knox\u2019s verses to memory during one of his melancholic periods. Some of its quatrains are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud? \/ Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud \/ A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave \/ He passeth from life to his rest in the grave\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yea! hope and despondency, pleasure and pain \/ Are mingled together in sunshine and rain; \/ And the smile and the tear, the song and the dirge \/ Still follow each other, like surge upon surge.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Tis the wink of an eye \u2013 \u2018tis the draught of a breath \/ From the blossom of health to the paleness of death, \/ From the gilded salon to the bier and the shroud: \/ Oh! why should the spirit of mortal be proud?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The poem indeed reflects Lincoln\u2019s periodic and famous melancholia. He committed many things to his memory; we all do \u2013 for instance, song lyrics. I suppose we are attracted to lines and sayings because they appeal to our natural inclinations. This basically applies even to Bible verses. We are intrigued, or sometimes by God’s providence convicted, by passages. We not only want to, but need to, \u201chide them in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To return to the concept of mortality. I think it is true that when we hear of a friend\u2019s bad health or mortal illness, or death, if we are honest, our thoughts are in a sense \u201cselfish.\u201d Self-ish. We have regrets for things we<\/em> might have done. Or words never spoken. We think of chances we <\/em>missed. Lost opportunities for visits or trips. We think of how we<\/em> will miss the person. Our<\/em> perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am reminded, especially this week, of resolutions I have broken: There are conversations \u2013 such as with my friend who shared his news \u2013 I never got around to having. There are calls I didn\u2019t make and notes I had wanted to send to my children and grandchildren, that I postponed\u2026 again and again. There are relatives, and old friends, I have wanted to connect with, even for no specific reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, months turn into\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a short step from having mere regrets to condemning ourselves, which is the devil\u2019s greatest trick. It is easy for any of us to fall into a mindset where we think we are lazy friends or bad parents. Self-condemnation can turn into self-fulfilling identities. It is the path of least resistance to keep traveling those byways\u2026 but those paths are really two-way streets. God allows U-Turns, as my friend Allison Bottke calls her ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t fall into the trap of thinking you are unworthy of family or friends, or yourself, or our Lord once we have accepted Him. Because that acceptance makes<\/em> us worthy. You are issued a new ID card when you invite Christ into your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A new friend, Heather Renea Heaven, this week shared a truth: \u201cGod did not make a mistake when He created you<\/em>.\u201d Wow. Sit up straight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, God created you. You are His handiwork. He created your family members and friends too. It is your job \u2013 no, your glorious opportunity! \u2013 to fill in what is \u201cin between\u201d you and me and others. So many gaps to fill! Friendships, relationships, fellowship, concern, sympathy, support, nurture, encouragement, love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We lose many things in life, sometimes forever\u2026 including a lot of things that we do not have to lose, yet we do. Money, we can cope with and regain. Jobs? We move on. Homes? We re-locate. Health? More serious, but we often can forestall, or manage, or battle. But…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Time \u2013 and some \u201crelationships over time,\u201d as the phrase goes \u2013 cannot be retrieved. When gone, forever gone. Does our priority become clear?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cherish. While you can. Cherish what you have, who you are, and those whom you have. Hold them close, let them know. While you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n