Your Last Post

"That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times.  The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next.  Everything in creation is being more or less held back.  God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready  and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead.  Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.” Romans 8:19-21 (The Message)

Sometimes the most thought-provoking questions seem to come out of nowhere. As my husband, Todd, and I sat having $1 tacos last Tuesday at the local watering hole near our house, one of those questions came. Todd is not a social media guy and to this day has no interest; he’s pretty wise in that respect.  So, I was surprised by his question. “If today was your last day on earth, what would your last post say?” I looked at him inquisitively thinking, “Did he say post? That’s not his language.” “What?” I said with my head slightly cocked to the right. A bit more seriously he said, “Post, what would your last social media post be if today was your last day? I heard this question on the radio and wondered what you would say.” I quickly spouted off a goofy answer, too embarrassing to repeat, that brought us both to tears of laughter. After a few moments my comic relief settled down and he said, “No really, what would it say?” There was no hesitation as I said, “It’s about to get REALLY good!” “What? What’s about to get really good?” he responded. “That’s my answer,” I said. “If today was my last day, I think that’s what I’d say. It’s about to get REALLY good.” “I don’t understand,” he said. “You know, what’s coming next when this life is over and I get to meet Jesus. If today is my last day here on earth, I am so excited. What’s coming next is going to better than I could ever imagine. So yeah, that’s what I’d say. It’s about to get REALLY good.” So you, reader, what do you think? Do you ever think about what comes next? I can assure you, it’s not going to be boring. Contrary to popular Christian belief, we aren’t going to be floating around on clouds all day singing songs. Let’s be honest, how excited would you be about an eternal church service? No, eternity is going to be fantastic! God has spent too much time refining us, drawing us towards holiness, showing us our gifts and talents to just chuck all that out of eternity. Myriads of books, by those much wiser than me, have been written on this subject, so I will keep my thought simple. If creation “can hardly wait for what’s coming next” why don’t we as human beings, God’s masterpiece, his pinnacle of creation, live with the same kind of holy anticipation for what comes next? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my life and I LOVE my family and friends. I’m not in any hurry to get out of here. But, knowing it’s going to be great makes me excited and not fearful of what’s next. With all the stress in our world, it is great to have one less thing to worry about. Amen?! "Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens." For Your Reflection… If today were your last day on earth, what would your last post on social media be? Do you anticipate the day you’ll join Jesus in eternity? Why or why not?