In the END, we are OK!

My Belief

My family had a bit of a brush with death this week. As you all know, I am an airline pilot and from time to time my wife does this wonderful thing where she drops me off at the airport so I don’t have to take public transportation. She did this very thing for me this week. After I had gone through security and was waiting for my plane to arrive she gave me a phone call and told me that she had just had a horrifying experience. As she was driving down the road away from the airport a massive deer charged toward her car on a direct collision course to smash through the passengers side window. My wife was terrified! She said there was nothing she could have done. There was no time to speed up, slow down, or swerve. Miraculously, the deer stopped only inches from hitting the car. My wife told me in our conversation that God was really watching out for her that night and we both prayed to thank God for His mercy to our family.

In light of this, I think of several other things I have heard about this week. The mega million lottery took place with the winners sharing an estimated half a billion dollars.  While this seems like an awesome positive thing to happen to a person, I find it amazing that the Word of God says it is not. I have read countless stories by simply “googling” lottery winners who say the money has wrecked their lives. In many cases the winners go broke, are killed, commit suicide, or are cheated by all their family and friends.

During Easter services my pastor talked about famous people who have reached the height of earthly success only to end in tragedy. Hollywood is full of these stories. Elvis, Lindsey Lohan, Michael Jackson, and on and on and on… Madonna has been quoted as saying, “Being rich and famous is NOT all it is cracked up to be”.

My point in all of this, is that in this world it is easy to get on the treadmill of success. The thought that if I could only get this, do this, be that, or have it all, then I WOULD BE HAPPY. This is the mindset in our world today and the evidence is quiet to the contrary. If you had it all how much of it would you trade or give up on your last day to continue living? There is nothing in this world that will bring people peace, joy and happiness. The only thing that has been proven to do that is a relationship with Jesus Christ. No one knows when a deer is going to come smashing through the window of our cars, but if we embrace Jesus we will be ready when it does.

Scripture

Matthew 16:26

²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Matthew 6:25-27

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

Application for Life

I struggle with this same dilemma in my own life at times. Being a pilot is a very competitive business and we are all trying to become the Captain on the biggest jet at the best airline. Well regardless of what jet you are on, or what airline you work for, we all fly in and out of the same airports, stay in the same hotels in the same cities, and ride the same employee shuttle busses. The guys with the best jobs in the best jets, at the best airlines are no more happy than anyone else. All the stuff they have does not satisfy their lives. Only Jesus brings that contentment and joy that I need and have in my own life.