A few weeks ago we enjoyed the musical “Annie” at the Peterborough Theatre Guild. Three members of our Keene church family performed superbly in the cast. One, Indigo Chesser, played the orphan child, Hope. Be sure to join Indigo playing the part of “Sunny Donnegal” in Fourth Line Theatre’s “The Great Shadow.” You are in for a treat. Congratulations to Indigo.
This morning, I read Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God has set eternity in the human heart.” What message has this sentence for us today? Immediately, “Tomorrow”, the hit song from the play, “Annie”, rolled through my mind. How does this hopeful, delightful song relate to the Ecclesiastes passage?
Eternity speaks of tomorrow. I’ll have time, tomorrow. I’ll rest, tomorrow. I’ll start to diet, tomorrow. I’ll go to church next week. I’ll tell my partner, child, father, “I love you,” tomorrow. As the song says, “Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow. You’re only a day away.”
Is there always tomorrow? I remember having dinner with friends. One man at the table said, “One more week, and I can retire. One more week, and I can devote all my time to this farm. I’ve only one more week of being inside all day, standing on the production line.” His face was wreathed in smiles as he shared his anticipation of his future. One month later, I was conducting his funeral. That was definitely not the “tomorrow” that he and his wife had planned.
For me, one of the big lessons of this pandemic is that tomorrow provides no guarantees. As God’s precious children, we cannot wait for tomorrow to begin caring for one another. We need to add deeds of kindness to each day.
This past week at a book sale event, I encountered an old friend, someone I respected and cared about, who had given of her time and caring to me many years before. As I looked into her now nearly sightless eyes, I asked, “Do you have a CD player?”
“Oh yes,” she replied. “I get books on CD from the CNIB.”
Spontaneously, I handed her a CD, my recording of “A Child Speaks” in which I tell my short stories.
As I wrote this reflection today, my phone rang. “Thank you,” she said, “Thank you. Your stories are delightful. I wanted you to know. I’m going to share your CD with another friend. Thank you for your gift.”
It was a simple gesture, done without thinking. We were both blessed. And isn’t that what life is all about? We give. Both giver and receiver are blessed. It was a tiny action of the moment, not put off till tomorrow, till I had sold enough books, till …whatever.
I believe God calls us to live our faith today, regardless of our time pressure, our energy level, our finances. The erratic weather, wild fires are saying, forget eternity or there will be no tomorrow. In fact, for our earth tomorrow has already come.
Today, and every day, make sure you do at least one thing to bring joy to this world, one thing to care for another person, one thing to care for the earth, one thing today. Today, I love ya today. It’s not a day away. It’s right now.
Today’s Faith by Rev. Janet Stobie
