Not too long ago, I was speaking to our congregation about the brevity of life, and how quickly we find our self one, five, ten, twenty or more years removed from something, and realize, "Wow! Where did time go?" I had one of those experiences recently.
My wife and I had taken my oldest child to Texas to enroll her in a two-year music internship. As the three of us sat through the parent-student orientation, the director of the internship was saying something to the effect that the students were adults now, and would be addressed, treated and expected to act as adults. To further his point, he said:
"This isn't high school sports anymore. Your sons and daughters aren't 'boys & girls' anymore. In high school they have 'boys' track and 'girls' track. Well, this isn't high school. They're young men and women, and they'll be treated as such."
While he was saying this, I was sitting next to my soon-t0-be twenty year-old daughter and that entire reality sank in like a soaking rain. Somehow over the last nearly two decades, this little bundle of joy we brought into our home in the late '80's had made the transformation from a little girl to a young woman! And in a few moments I was going to kiss her good-bye and leave her a few hundred miles away for a long, long time. I had to resist the strongest temptation to panic, take her by her hand, grab her mother, march out to our car, drive back to our 'safe' existence with 'our little girl' and never again venture out!
Obviously, I didn't (though I still miss her very, very much)! But that experience left an impression on me. And when I stood up to speak the very next Sunday, I had planned to talk about this whole subject of how short our life is, and how quickly time flies. The apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, told the Christians at the ancient Roman city of Ephesus to: "Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days." (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT) So, with that 'real time' experience fresh in my mind, I was reminded of some of the things we only get one of, like...
One Body.
Enough has been written, reported and studied about how we Americans should take care of ourselves that I don't have to reiterate any of that here. Suffice it to say however, you only get body--good bad or indifferent--and the better you treat it and maintain it, the better you'll feel. You only get one body. Trying to inhabit two at once isn't mentally healthy, and will get one permanently attached to thorazine.
One Mind.
We also only get one mind--one brain to train. There are myriads of productive, conventional and legal ways to expand one's mind. On the other hand there are myriads of counter-productive, unconventional and illegal things one can attempt to expand one's mind that could result in severe destruction to one's self and others. But the fact is you only get one mind--to use or lose. And it's our own personal choice how to best achieve that.
One Moment.
Further, each of us is given the same 60 second minutes, 60 minute hour, 24 hour days, 365 days a year to spend. And each moment is a choice that could affect the other choices we'll make seconds, hours, days, months and years ahead. There were dozens of poignant, Kodak moments I captured with my oldest daughter, and believe me, while I was seated in that auditorium that day, they were playing like a DVD in my mind! I was glad to have been on hand to witness many of those firsthand, as well as with my other children. Finally, we only get...
One Legacy.
This is probably 'the thing I only have one of ' that I'm most concerned about. When I leave this earth, I'm most concerned about the kind of legacy I'll pass on to my kids. I'm not talking about occupation--I hope they know that I'll love them no matter what line of work they choose. And I'm not talking about an inheritance--of course I'd like to be able to pass along some of that if possible. What I'm talking about is the integrity, character and values that are core to my life. Those qualities that my kids will remember and cling to when they face adversity, hardship and defining moments. We're only allowed one legacy to pass on, and I'm striving to pass on one that will stand the test of time!
To drive this all home, there's a song that dovetails with this so well. It's by the group 33 Miles, (pictured below) and it's a cut from a new release due to hit retail outlets soon. It's called One Life to Love. You can download the track yourself, but the ingenuity of 21st century technology has allowed me to hyper-link to their website where you can listen to it. Take a moment, turn up your speakers and let the message of this song remind you to take care of all those things in your life that you only get one of!
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