CHOOSE LIFE

As I was finishing up paperwork at my Octogerian patient's house today, I offhandedly asked him what his profession had been. He told me he was a preacher. Preached for over half a century... still preaching. We chatted a minute about the Bible and I asked him if he believed we were truly in the 'Last Days'. He nodded his head emphatically and said, “Most certainly!” He explained that America today is just like Israel in the OT... filled with lost people in search of an earthly king who will give us what we think we WANT, instead of a Heavenly King who gives us exactly what we NEED. He quoted Deuteronomy 30, where Moses – in his final speech – told the Israelites to “Choose Life” so that they would receive all the promised blessings from God.

Coincidentally (?) I had just finished Deuteronomy. It's a tough, book for me – it swamps me to read about the death of Moses. I can't deal with all the feels when God takes Moses up to Mt. Nebo to view the promised land. I cry every time, imagining the profound sense of accomplishment Moses felt after 80 years of service finally culminating in the deliverance of God's people; joy that the Israelites would finally be “home”; sadness in the prophetic knowledge that his "stiff-necked" people would eventually lose their homeland and be dispersed all over the world because they chose the curse instead of the blessing.

Today is my Daddy's birthday. He would be 87. To me, he is perpetually 64 – the age he left this earth. Several years ago I wrote this birthday tribute to him which popped up on my FB memories:

“It's been 15 years since my Daddy held me safe against his big ol' chest while I snuggled in, getting high on the scent of Old Spice. There was magic in that Old Spice. One whiff and a hug from my Daddy was all it took to make everything okay. I'm missing him more than usual. Maybe it's because the world seems to be going crazy and Tina Turner was completely wrong: we DO need another hero. He was mine.”

Undoubtedly, the world has become even uglier and crazier in the decades since my Dad found his way to heaven. We are surrounded by chaos, still searching for a 'king' to make everything better.

Life is hard and uncertain. Our hearts are troubled. There's not much I wouldn't give for one of my Dad's magical hugs...

But while he was my hero, God is my salvation. He reminded me of that today. His messenger was a tired, old preacher who believes without a doubt that he is still here for a purpose: to encourage others to Choose Life.

I'm thankful for men like him... beyond grateful for the modern-day Moseses who continue to lead lost wanderers into the Promised Land.

(Also, I'm pretty sure the Promised Land smells like Old Spice... 😉

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