RUNNING TOWARD ETERNITY

“I am looking forward to the next great adventure.”

Jim Moore (1973-2012)

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

                I entered the room with apprehension. I had received word that Jim was back in the hospital. Jim had been diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. He had aggressively pursued the options that were before him, but he had taken a turn for the worst. For a number of personal reasons I was reluctant go see Jim. Another friend was at the hospital at the same time, so I set my fears aside and we went. It was not only the right decision; it set me on course for a profound journey.

                Jim looked forlorn, like someone who had lost their best friend. He was discouraged, sick and a little angry. I had no words to comfort him. The doctors had told him that he had come to the end of his options. He was determined to continue the fight, but how? I stood mostly in silence as my friend did most of the talking. In those few moments I determined to walk with Jim to the end.

                Over the next two months I visited or called Jim a couple times a week. He had been released from the hospital and was at home under Hospice care. Our phone calls were usually very short. Neither Jim nor I were much for talking on the phone. My visits would last between 15 minutes and an hour. During those times I tried to share words of hope from the Bible. And I listened to Jim’s stories.

                When Jim was first diagnosed he knew that the chance of him being cured was slim. While he still had his strength, he decided to live life to the fullest. So many people in Jim’s position sink into a hopeless state of inactivity. Not Jim. He decided to wring the most out of whatever life he had left. So he began doing things that he had always wanted to do.

                He went skydiving. After all, what was the risk really? He was dying. So off he went. Of course being his first and only skydive, it was a tandem dive. There were two other pairs in the plane. His pair was last. He watched as each pair disappeared through the door. His heart pounded with anticipation and fear. Then it was his turn. He was out of the door before he knew it; falling helplessly through the air. He loved it. He said that it was one of the most amazing things he had ever done. “You really have to do it more than once”, Jim quipped, “because it goes by so fast.”

                Jim loved to travel. He joined with his mother and sister and took a trip to New England. None of them had ever been there before, so it was a great adventure. Jim was an accomplished photographer. He had always used a camera with “real” film. This time he brought a digital camera. It took him a while to get used to it. No longer did he have to wait for just the right shot. Instead he could take pictures at will; and he did.

                Jim had always wanted to buy a “cop car”. He got on the internet and found retiredgovernmentcars.com. Through them he bought his cop car. It was big and black. All of the outward trappings of a police car had been removed, but you could still tell. It was a cop car through and through.

                Jim also wanted to fire a WWII machine gun. He found a place that would allow him to do it for $45 a minute. He forked over the money and fired away with glee. “How many people who have never been in the military get to shoot a machine gun?”

                After Jim’s final stay in the hospital his adventures ended. He no longer had the strength to get out. So he sat in his recliner and read or listened to music or watched old Star Trek episodes. It was during this time that I would come and visit. We would talk and I would share about faith and heaven. On one occasion we were alone; his mom and sister were out shopping. Jim took the opportunity to ask the kind of questions that he didn’t feel comfortable asking in the presence of others. We talked about what heaven might be like. He expressed his apprehension over a heaven that is dominated by a never ending church service. I agreed that that image didn’t seem very appealing. Then I shared some insights I had gained from reading C.S. Lewis. He began to embrace the idea of heaven being a place of perfection, where we are free to explore and discover for all of eternity.

                On one occasion I brought him a copy of Steps to Peace with God. That little booklet became an anchor for him. He read it over and over, devouring the simple truth of faith, forgiveness and a forever future with Christ. As he drew closer to his last days he became calm. He was not afraid of dying. He confided in me that one night he had a dream that he had died. When he woke up in the morning he was genuinely disappointed. He told me that he was excited about the next great adventure that lay before him.

                I received the call as I arrived in my office. Jim was gone. In the early morning hours he had slipped from here into eternity. I went over and stayed with his mom and sister until the funeral home came to get him. I had not seen Jim in person for about a week and I was shocked. He lay in his bed looking like a Holocaust victim. But Jim was not a victim. Jim was a victor. Jim had not clung to physical life; he had embraced eternal life.

                We spend so much of our lives running away from eternity. We distance ourselves from the reality of death. We live as if this life will never end. But deep in our hearts we know the truth. We live in fear of the future.

                My time with Jim was a gift from God. Through Jim, God reminded me that I don’t have to live in fear. He also taught me to value every moment that I do have on this earth. Time is short for all of us.

                The Apostle Paul lived his life running toward eternity. He knew the value of this life and the treasure of the next. In Philippians 1:21 (NIV) he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” When Paul wrote those words he knew that his time on earth was short. Like Jim the sentence of death hung over his head. As best as we can determine, Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from a prison in Rome. It would not be long before he would be executed for his faith. But Paul never gave up the fight. In fact Paul ran hard toward eternity. He refused to let anything get in his way.

                Paul knew that he had not finished his race. From a human perspective he had every right to coast. He had accomplished so much for the kingdom of God. He had opened the door for Gentiles to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had planted churches through Asia Minor. He had witnessed before kings and princes. He had written letters of challenge and instruction that we still read today. Yet Paul knew that he was far from perfect. There was still work for him to do.

                Paul continued to press toward the goal. Paul knew Christ as intimately as anyone who lived, but he was not satisfied. He wanted to know Christ more. Even as he faced his own death he strived to get closer to Jesus. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. [Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV)] Paul ran toward the goal until the very end.

                As the time drew close Paul wrote to his closest disciple, Timothy. He wrote words of hope and encouragement. Paul was eager to experience the next great adventure. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. [2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)]

                Our world is doing its best to run away from eternity. As followers of Christ we can run toward eternity. As we run, we need to make the most of every opportunity we have. For us to live is Christ, and to die is gain.