A long time ago there used to be a saying among the people I once worked with that, “in a hundred years, who will know the difference?” As a young person of eighteen, I wondered, “Well, who will know the difference?” Perhaps God will know, and in some way I also will know.

Hence, what was a good line for tension relief became for me a gentle reminder of what is important and what is not. From experience, we know that very few of the things that mattered even ten years ago carry the same value for us now as they did then. Yet, we also know from experience that something does remain a part of us from the past. We are free, but we are also conditioned by past experience.

We are inclined to think of someone as a good person because we can count on them to act in a consistent manner in choosing what is good for themselves and others. For example, we expect a mother to watch over her children and provide for their daily needs. Sometimes, this is as simple as giving a child a glass of water.¹ At other times it may be as heroic as putting one’s body between the child and danger.

Recently in the news we were given a story that demonstrates, even on a natural level, the force towards preserving the precious things that endure, for the future. After a fire, a forest ranger reported discovering the body of a bird in an upright position at the base of a tree. The bird’s wings were extended downward. When the ranger tipped over the dead bird, two baby chicks scurried out from underneath the wings. The mother bird could have flown away to safety, yet she instinctively protected her young.²

 

What Is It That Will Last?

As Christians, we know that we can always count on God’s protection and love. Yet, at the same time we can ask what is it that we are doing that will last? It is in this Fall time of the year that we especially remember those that have gone before us into the arms of God. In celebrating the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, we can also think specifically about our own beloved who we believe are now rejoicing in new life with Christ, and ponder with gratitude the many acts of love and sacrifice that made up their lives.

It strikes me that, as I look back today, I can’t recall the details of a single “hundred year decision.” Yet, the gentle goodness³ of the people I first worked with remains and continues to encourage me to acknowledge the presence of God, “Who will know the difference.”

Notes

¹Mark 9:41  I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

² A more human example that comes to mind occurred in my hometown of Nashua New Hampshire. It happened in one of the big department stores. A man came into the store, obviously out of his mind waving a gun and shouting at the customers. A women sensing the danger stepped between her daughter and the man and told the daughter to run outside. The man opened fire and killed the mother. In some ways we can see that the heroic mother was following the same instincts to protect her young as the bird had done. When we reflect further upon this mother’s action, we cherish her courage and we pray that other mothers will also put their children first even at the cost of their own personal safety. Finally, in summation, we observe that love is that entity which calls us not to go against our nature but beyond it to unite with the nature of God.

³1 Corinthians 13:13  So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.