Tuesday, May 24, 2005

What Will I Be Asked On That Day?


Handsome! Every morning when I meet with God, I go to a spot where I can be in His presence without having to worry if anyone could overhear me. I found a bench just by the beach & by about 6:40am, I would stumble out of bed, grab my Bible & traverse at first light to make my blurry eyed way to my meeting place. All of a sudden, it rained feathers. I can explain this! The feathers were probably trapped in the tree branches when the peacocks fly over the roof(yes, they can fly) & happened to be dislodged just as I walked beneath them so it made my day to gather them! The night before, I was feeling quite overwhelmed by the prospect of my dad dying at home. And I’m here. Don’t ask me why I’m not at home by his bedside. I spent his birthday with him on the 18th & he was giving me last wishes instead of birthday wishes. I asked him how he felt about leaving this world & us. He said he felt peace. He only became a Christian 2 years ago. So has mum. Then my dive manager, Sam, walked in on me. Teary eyed & all. I think I’d stunned him. As he tried to reason with me & consoled me, I thought to myself, well, I’ve got to let go & let God. I’m going to have a lot of things to ask God about this & wanted to bring to His attention that I was feeling despaired over my beloved daddy. Then Bernard, the sous chef, came in with his guitar & sang me some songs that lifted my spirit. And that night, we committed it to God by praying for wisdom to know what He has us here for. Arriving at my bench of petition, there laid on the ground beside the bench, a long & beautiful peacock feather. Placed in such a way that I could never miss. Maybe God put it there to stop me from chasing the peacocks, telling them to ‘DROP FEATHER!’ before its time. It made me feel better already. At the very moment I ask for God’s presence, a black egret would fly just above the surface of the sea across me to land at the foundation of the jetty. Every day. Without fail. I thought it was a coincidence but I varied my waking hours between 6am & 6:45am. The moment I invite God’s presence, that egret will fly by me & rests on the jetty. Cool….. So if you ask me why I would give up the conveniences of high speed broadband & wifi in my favourite coffee joint, chilling at my humble abode facing a lush tropical jungle with civet cats, Racquet-Tailed Drongos, Woody Woodpeckers, Owls & neighbours who are resting in peace, gallivanting with TV Smith, well, I’ll tell you this, I haven’t spent enough time with God to warrant a retreat so He brought me here where all I could do is watch His magnificent creation all around me & say THANK YOU. The joy that comes from knowing that He has provided all things for the good of those who love Him & live according to His purpose. I’d been sent birds & butterflies! God is everywhere!
Butterfly Beneath Then I asked God if I were to meet Him now instead of my dad, what would He be asking me? I continued to ponder over the question even after I left the bench an hour later. Then an email I’d received contained the answers that I’d asked…… God won't ask what kind of car you drove. He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation. God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home. God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe. God won't ask what your highest salary was. He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it. God won't ask what your job title was. He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability. God won't ask how many friends you had. He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend. God won't ask what neighbourhood you lived in, He'll ask how you treated your neighbours. God won't ask about the colour of your skin,

He'll ask about the content of your character.
God won't ask how good YOU were; He'll ask if you believed in His Son who is the BEST. God won't have to ask how many people you have decided to give the good news to, He already knows your decision.

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