Too Much, but Not Too Late

 

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Photo by Deavmi 2015

I dreamed that I was racing through an airport to catch a plane to a very important destination. They had announced the final boarding call, and I was afraid I would miss the flight. Finally I made it through the boarding gate just in time, as the cabin doors closed just moments after I boarded.

I jostled against those still standing in the aisles and spotted my son, who was already seated but still had an empty spot next to him. Once I got there I realized there was no space in the overhead bin for my tote bag, nor would it fit under the seat in front of me. To my son’s dismay, and that of the flight attendants, I reached up into the space over the seat housing the oxygen masks and tried to shove them aside to make room for my bag!

As I awoke and considered the meaning of the dream, I realized it was another metaphor for being saved late in life. My son, who in the dream had boarded the plane in plenty of time, was saved when he was 10 years old. So Lord willing, he has plenty of time ahead of him to serve the Lord, assuming a normal lifespan, although none of us is promised tomorrow (1 Peter 1:23-25; James 4:14).

I was saved a few months before my son, yet further along in the course of life. It has now been 24 years, praise the Lord, yet the time has flown by so quickly, and my biggest fear is going home before I have completed the mission He set out for me since before the beginning of time (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:5,11). If only we could perfectly follow the example of Jesus, Who finished the work His Father gave Him to do! (John 4:34; 17:4).

Whether we are saved early or late in life makes no difference to our ultimate destination. Even the repentant thief on the cross, who had no time to be baptized, to join a church, or to do any good works, was assured by Christ that he would be with Him in Paradise that very day (Luke 23:39-43). Once we trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven, our eternal destiny with Him is forever secure (John 10:28-29).

But the rewards He will give us at His judgment seat are based on the works we do for Him once we are saved, provided we do them with the right motive (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). Each passing day may represent a soul nurtured and brought closer to Christ, or a missed opportunity to keep the Divine appointment He had planned for us (Psalm 118:24). So time does matter, as does our heart to follow Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Sometimes overt sins get us off course, or snares of the devil (1 Peter 5:8; 1 Timothy 3:7), but often it is our own wrong choices, being burdened by weights that hinder us from running the race (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1). The oxygen masks in the dream may represent our communication with God through His Holy Spirit Who inspires us (Galatians 5:16-25), giving us the breath of life each day to fulfill His perfect plan. Yet so often we choke that lifeline by putting other things first (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19), instead of giving Him the preeminence (Matthew 6:33; Colossians 1:18).

In the dream, how foolish it was to try to cram my earthly possessions into a space reserved for the vital task of saving my life, and that of other passengers. Jesus warned us not to be weighed down by treasures on earth, but instead to store up treasures in Heaven, where they will last forever (Matthew 6:19-21). We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out (1 Timothy 6:7-11).

Those who are preoccupied with earthly cares, like the young rich ruler, or the fool building bigger and better barns while ignoring the fate of his own soul, may find it more difficult to enter Heaven than a camel finds it to pass through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:18-25; 12:16-21).

So praise God, I am not too late for salvation, which gives me eternal life in Heaven with Jesus Christ and with my loved ones who have trusted Him as Lord and Savior. And I am thankful for each day He gives me to praise, worship and serve Him. But my daily prayer is to let Him be Lord of my life, First in my heart, unfettered by idols (1 John 5:21) or daily preoccupations, which is His rightful place!

© 2017 Laurie Collett