It’s odd to me to envision a future full of good things in this life. And it’s wrong to prioritize anything over the Kingdom. But I have to believe that somehow my writing will make a difference. Not that I’ll be a best seller, or get some kind of award one day, and I definitely won’t be writing an epic in the traditional sense.
But I hope, against my inner critic, that my writing will be useful to someone, in my lifetime. Because probably after I’m gone at some point the internet will be scrubbed of everything attached to this alias. If not sooner. So I’ve stepped out a bit in faith. But I stepped out before I prayed. So, after confessing that, I asked for mercy and for God to somehow use me. He uses me all the time in my vocation, with my friends and family, and those whose lives touch mine, even for a moment.
Knowing then, that the world will go up in flames, indeed, the very universe, we must live wisely. Use our resources wisely. Walk in the Spirit, do God’s will, all that. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t hold out our dreams and put them in His hands. They may just end up on God’s refrigerator one day, a child’s watercolor of a house in the woods with a stream next to it. Or, they may have some substance, reward us eternally, or perhaps in this life. Because not trying is worse than trying and failing. And yes, the culture is not what it was 20 years ago. Inclusion is exclusive, and many false gospels are being sold and bought. But the Gospel originated with God. And God’s Word doesn’t return void. And what He says goes.
We don’t judge others. We don’t rightly judge ourselves. But there is a Judge on that Day. And we who believe have received pardon for our sins, debts, trespasses. So for the rest of our lives we serve God and Jesus. Because we owe him a love debt. A debt of loving Him and our neighbors and each other. Gratitude makes slaves of us who believe. But we serve a good God and a good Master. And that is because of the good news of Jesus Christ.