Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
-- Ecclesiastes 1:2-4
There is so much talk going on particularly with the changing of one party government to another. The Word of God says it best -- "one generation passeth away; and another generation cometh," so what is all the fuss about. The earth abideth forever.
The world is at too critical a position in the affairs of man for us who are mere pilgrims on our journey from here to the hereafter, to be overly agitated, morally downloaded, socially bankrupt and spiritually starved. It is time for us to face the rising sun of opportunities and march onward, forward, upward and onward to national victory.
Our country is at the place when those with the vision will take its rightful place at the global table. Paul says that it doth not yet appear what we shall be like, but we know that there is a space and place for us as a people. I do believe that these islands hold many of the wonders of the world. It was in 1991 during a December budget debate that I raised the question if we knew of our valuable geographic position being so very close to the United States of America and our airspace was the gateway for airlines, satellite messages being used freely. God has so blessed us as a people that we are like Moses with the insignificant rod in our hands but hold the solutions to world problems.
The day that The Commonwealth of The Bahamas realizes who we are and whose we are, the ills that plague us into the depths of despair will be a thing of the past.
Out text today from the words of King Solomon remind us that in all our getting and achieving in this present world, the end result is a passing shadow. O how do we trample on others, despise the poor and badmouth those who are trying to make it in life. We complain day in and day out, not pleased with anything and everybody including ourselves. We make it so very difficult for others to just merely survive without the slightest thought of being our brother's keepers.
I attended the funeral of a friend in Washington, D.C. recently. She was a minister in the Holiness Church, but she was a diva when it came to dress, elegance, deportment and speech. When she spoke it was like the morning flow of a peaceful river. I spoke with her often and we shared God's Word and its relevancy to the happenings in the world. In hospital, I spoke with her at length on a Monday and as I would do sometimes, get to my piano and play and sing a song as I am led to. But this night as she cried, I remembered the song of my childhood -- God never fails, God never fails. He abides in me. He gives me victory. For God never fails. You just keep the faith, and never cease to pray. Walk upright. Call him day, noon or night. He'll be there. There's no need to worry for God never fails."
Yes indeed Mary sang like a bird, we both kept singing. Next morning she had a procedure for a congestive heart and on my birthday Wednesday, she died.
Wow! Mary left her Mercedes Benz, unopened mail order parcels and things galore. In her order of service, Linda Ellis wrote a tribute -- the dash. It is so in keeping with the words of wisdom of Solomon. I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on her casket from beginning to the end. He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years, for that dash represented all the time that she spent alive on earth and now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own -- the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard, are there things you would like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough to consider what is true and real and always try to understand the way other people feel, and be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we have never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while. So when your eulogy is being read with your life's actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?
How fitting as we go about our daily task today and not let mundane things cause us not to enjoy especially the simple things of life like a visit to the beach, a walk in your garden if you have one, or calling a friend with a word of cheer, or calling a family member whom you have lost contact with in this small island of ours.
o E-mail rubyanndarling@yahoo.com; Facebook Ruby Ann Darling or write to P.O. Box SS 19725 Nassau, Bahamas with your prayer requests, concerns and comments. God's blessings!
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