Aug 13th, 2023: The Past, The Present and The Eternal

Someone recently told me that she doesn't believe there is anything after death. She mentioned it's futile to think about life after death, emphasizing that we should focus on today. I simply listened because she wasn't interested in my thoughts at the moment. I wasn't pondering that topic either; I was concerned about what might have caused her agitation and hostility.

After venting for a bit, she paused to catch her breath. I then asked if she'd like something cold to drink, to which she requested a mango smoothie.

"Do you have anything to say?" she asked.

"I believe that's not the crucial point right now. I'm more concerned about what you've been through today," I replied.

Seeing her avoid the question, I patiently waited. Eventually, she discussed her visit to her unwell mother. She ran into a chaplain there who tried to talk to her about eternal life and God's plan for her mom. This didn't sit well with her, and I ended up on the receiving end of her frustration.

Gradually, she calmed down and apologized for her earlier hostility. She expressed her desire for more time with her mother. After years of estrangement, they reconciled about two years ago.

"There's so much to catch up on, you know," she told me.

"In some ways, we never truly have enough time to express our love to those close to us," I replied.

We sat in silence for a while. Eventually, she asked me about my understanding of eternity. I shared that we cannot truly appreciate the concept of eternity unless we're capable of being thankful for the past and embracing the present.

I offered her a ride to go back and see her mother. 

"He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." - Ecclesiastes 3: 11