Purposeful living

‘Will the earth shake when you die?’ Hmm! What a strange question!

I had fallen asleep on board my flight to South Africa two days ago, and awoke to this thought. Why it came so strongly to me at that time, I couldn’t figure. Was our aircraft destined to crash? Heaven forbid! The cabin lights had been dimmed, the aircraft silent as the passengers slept. I stretched and stared out the window in quiet introspection. Would the earth shake when I died? Okay Lord, I thought; explain this one quickly please. Then it came to me. The question was not one of ‘if’ I died (death being inevitable); it was one of ‘when’ I die, which means I have time left to work through what the answer to this question would be.

Secondly, I realised that ‘the earth’ did not necessarily represent the entire world;  rather ‘the earth’ represented the playing field that God gives each of us to achieve His purpose for our lives and time here on the earth realm. Generally speaking, our ‘earth’   includes our families; businesses; friends/loved ones. No doubt, as a wife/mother/sister/daughter, my family would be shaken by my absence. No doubt, business/work would need some adjustment time before the gap is filled effectively (if ever); no doubt I would be sorely missed by friends and loved ones. So from that standpoint, I thought how easy it would be for anyone to say ‘Yes’ to the question in relation to these elements of their earth.

Beyond this however, I realised that you and I would be doing ourselves a great disservice by limiting the definition of our ‘earth’ to this scope. My sister, my earth and your earth is inclusive of the territory that the Lord has ordained that we will move into over the course of our lives, and we have to be very focused so that we don’t miss this. Some elements we can see are beginning to take shape, others we only know that He, who holds our tomorrows in the palm of His hands, is working out behind the scenes. I realised that our earth also includes those we come/will come in contact with over the course of our lives, and over whom we have potential (deliberately or inadvertently) to influence and/or impact – physically, financially, socially, psychologically, morally and spiritually.

I took some time in the quiet of the moment, to reflect on my existing relationships. I thought through my relationship with my husband – as his wife and helpmeet am I really being the best that I can be? With my children and likewise in my other relationships, am I nurturing them more in my strength or am I truly walking under the leading of the Holy Spirit? This was the easier part.

The more difficult part of my reflections was perhaps what I am also calling you to do today. I’m calling you to spend some time in quiet introspection and see what answers you come up with for yourself. The question God posed was ‘Will the earth...your earth shake when you die?’ and my first question to you then (and to myself, I promise you) is ‘How have you defined your earth?’.  Have you looked beyond your family, friends, colleagues and relatives to see a bigger sphere of impact that the Lord is calling you to?  Remember that the Bible tells us that showing love to our friends and family is nothing to make boast about for even the Pharisees do that; no, the real challenge is going beyond these borders and purposefully seeking to bless the ‘strangers’ out there.

And I guess this is where my other questions to you (and to self) follow. Having defined your earth fully, can you also define (and write down please) definite steps you will take to make sure you can show love to the whole of your earth? Can you look the resources God has gifted you with and see how you can use these to impact and bless your greater earth? Do you have the gift of encouragement, of wise counsel? Can you work out ways to use this for the benefit of your earth? Can you write? Are you blessed in your finances? Do you have great people skills? What is it about you that you can use effectively as a way of touching lives beyond your immediate sphere?

This is a new year; a year of new things. I believe that even as God has given this vision of newness, He is also calling me... He is also calling you, to live purposefully this year. I believe the question He posed was simply to get you and I to think through how we live our lives from today onwards. He has given us life, health, various resources; He has made power available to us. He has given us these so that we can fulfil what He says is His greatest commandment – that call to love. Our role is to purposefully reach out in love so that at the end, when He calls us to be with Him, the earth ...our earth, will indeed be shaking. And you know what that shaking will be? 

Common girl! It will be the earth resonating with the applause from the angels on high, as the Lord enfolds you in His arms and says in pride ‘Welcome home my daughter. You did good! I’m so proud of you!’

Be blessed