There’s an adjective I’ve been thinking about for some time, and I’m appreciating the adjective more and more as I get older.
Grandson Nick was with us last night. When I came home from a meeting the little guy, 18-months-old, was crying because he was overly tired. Opa took him, sat down in the easy chair, and he went asleep. How precious that short time was! In my younger years I understood intellectually that life was precious, but innumerable years stretched before me. Now my perspective is different. Holding a child is a fleeting gift from the Creator.
The adjective is “eternal,” as in “eternal life.” For all that makes us unhappy, the problems, the evil, the weariness of the daily grind… few of us would want to give up life. As the days grow fewer, I’m increasingly aware that the words “eternal life” are more than religious jargon. They express our deepest yearning that life continue forever.
Diane and I are stunned today. Our physician, Dr. James Drake, passed away Sunday. We’ve gone to him for 30 years and I don’t know that I’ve ever met a better person. He embodied competence and caring, and his gentle voice and the twinkle in his eye revealed an inviting sense of humor. I always thanked him, and did so most sincerely. His calling was medicine, that is, the care of precious life, and he was God’s gift to our family and to so many others. His family is in our prayers.
I am yearning for life, eternal. John 17:3.
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