Not Immortal

 

                Despite our best intentions, no one will live forever on this earth. At some point in one’s life, our mortal bodies begin to slow down, wear out, and drift toward an unavoidable end. Our metabolism slows down, we begin to gain weight, we lose muscle mass and we cannot do the things we did when we were in our twenties and thirties.

               Time has a frightening way of catching up with us. At best, each person may live to reach one hundred years or possibly one hundred and twenty. Staying active, staying attentive, and always adding to our pool of learning, we can continue to be good, holy, and righteous people, making sacrifices for those we love, and for those we do not know.

               Learning to be humble, learning to put others first, and thinking better of others than we think of ourselves will lead us down the right path. Focusing on and feeding our lust for power, our lust for pleasure, and our desire to be comfortable will not bring us to where we need to be to be prepared for eternity.

               We need to remember to live in the present, to live in the moment, and to always speak with kindness, with love, with compassion, and with the goal of making the lives of others better than it is at the current moment. If we focus on being good right now, being holy right now, and seeking after beauty and truth, we are pushing ourselves toward that which is for our benefit and the benefit of others.

               The manner that we shape our hearts, our thinking, and our passions will determine our final outcome and the state we will experience in eternity. If we focus on pleasure, on comfort, and on distraction while we live on this earth, we will find that our eternity will be miserable, as we have neglected to pursue the love of holiness and beauty.

               Learning from those who lived lives of holiness before us, will make our lives better, will make our eternity better, and will make us a valuable contributor to those around us. Do not let yourself be distracted by the silliness and inanity of your current culture, focus on truth, on beauty, on holiness, and on righteousness. Love God, love your neighbor, and pursue holiness.