This life, this one-way road, gives us one opportunity to get things right.  Some have concocted fairy tales to appease their terrible fright, allotting themselves thousands of chances to get it right.  Others are encumbered with the awful burden of measuring their goodness, needing to do one more good deed before time is up.  Some solve this collective dilemma by denying the existence of God, for if He is not there then there is no requirement to believe or be judged.  Others give into the merciless flesh, practicing every manner of sin attributable to man, hoping to remain aloof of reality.  Most of us realize the preciousness of life is that there is only one, and that so short.  Praise be to God, He has given me the opportunity to be free from sin’s burden, so that I may live this life in the knowledge of victory, never worrying what shall be done with my mistakes.

All things worth pursuing require the investment of time, treasure, maturity or sacrifice.  None of us wish for second best, though some times we settle for it or it becomes the only/best option as the sum of a string of poor choices.  But this realization is always accompanied by regret.  Certainly we may convince ourselves to be settled, or relatively happy, but all the time knowing that we somehow missed the true mark.  Isn’t it worth it to wait for God’ very best, giving everything we’ve got to reach the pinnacle of our probable/possible existence?  I don’t want regrets and each time that I settle for that which God did not intend for my life, I am always burdened with the reminder that I settled for less.  I pray to God that we all have the patience, courage and strength of character to pursue only God’s Will and wait on His Blessings.

Just as in free will, I suspect that life had to be designed this way to make it so valuable, it is crucial to value each passing moment with a knowledge that it will never be lived again.  I went to India and I was astounded that people just stepped over, ignored or mistreated the unfortunate or homeless.  They explained that the karma of their last life made them deserving of their current state, so everyone was justified in ignoring their plight.  How cruel we may become in freeing ourselves of guilt and obligation.  This life is mine, and I am solely accountable for my actions and inactions.  The inactions are often more painful than wrong actions, because I can be forgiven for making a mistake, but I will never see the opportunity to complete a missed divine appointment.  God let me be present in both mind and body for those appointments You have set before me.  Let me leave no stone unturned when it comes to my opportunities for message and ministry.