"Life's Too Short"
Dean AngellSeptember 14/15, 2002
When you read the history of North America and the Old West - nearly every story begins and ends with a trail..The Oregon Trail, the Missouri River Trail, the Chisholm Trail, the Appalatian Trail, the Red Coat Trail..They were the first highway systems in North America -- And if you do some further reading..You can read account after account of cowboys who chose to follow the trail or those pioneers who didn't..
See, in the Old West, if you were headed to Oregon, it just made a lot of sense to follow the Oregon Trail..instead of trying to blaze your own way. And everyone knew that it took someone before you..
countless heartbreaking trips down dead end trails before the right one was established. And when the right trail was found the same thing always happened..those first pioneers would mark the trail for those who would come after them.
For pioneers, the trail was a path that led to hope and freedom and a new life..If you stuck to the trail you would find enough water and enough shelter and enough resting places and enough food to make it through. See, that marked trail - (blazed by the pioneers and then followed by thousands of others)..that well-marked trail summed up the collective wisdom of years.
Now - here's my suggestion today - and maybe you've thought about this - maybe you haven't. But you're on a trail too - right now - in this very instant of your life..In fact, whether it's the right one or the wrong one - every morning when you crawl out of bed - you choose the trail on which you will walk..The trail you're on began the moment you were conceived.
and it ends when we die..
And my thought for you today is a significant one..Life's too short to be walking on the wrong trail. Got in a conversation this week about a grave yard..about what they wanted their headstone to have on it. Got me thinking..when you walk into a cemetery - you look at the stones and what do you see?
Someone's name - date of birth and date of death. But what do you see in between those dates? A short horizontal line..a hyphen..on nearly every gravestone. And on a gravestone that hyphen represents that individual's whole life - his or her entire stage on this earth..Happy or tragic, glorious or shameful, rich or poor. Now.You and I - when we look at gravestones - we tend only to see the two dates - the beginning and the end..But the real story is in the hyphen. The hyphen represents the trail someone's life is on..And folks, life's too short to not be on the right trail.
Here's what the Psalmist wrote in the Bible thousands of years ago.."God - You alone will make known to me the trail of life." -
Psalm 16:11. For just a few moments today - I'd like to tell you about the trail God calls each of us to walk on in this life...About the trail that leads to life.
SOLID GROUND
There's a trail that goes through our land at home on the farm, and that trail is old - barely there anymore..Used to be how people got to the river crossing - wagons..Well - in the spring there's part of that trail that's kinda marshy - a little deceiving because on the top it's grass and it looks solid, but underneath - it's water and lots of it..
And you can sink up to your knees before you're 2 steps in..Well, my point is simple..The trail you walk on in life had better be more solid than that..
Jesus made a lot of bold statements about the faith..but none more impacting than this one: - "I am the way, the truth and the life." An interesting way to describe what following Him is about - a clear path -- I am the way..a clear path to life - based on truth..Truth is one of those words that everyone likes to talk about, and especially educated people -- (Always trying to define it)..Well - I gotta be honest.
For me - the truth about truth is that a discussion about it doesn't help any of us understand it - but life actions based on truth is a better way to define truth.
Here's what I mean -- When someone you know is honest and full of integrity - you know - their word is their bond - a handshake deal is a done deal - that person is living a life of truth - and their life choices are a direct result of moral code - a set of principles that they live by..
A solid foundation..And guess what? That foundation - that moral ground zero - was not something they just thought up one day -- They didn't just drift into it!!..More than likely it was taught to them or passed on to them by someone else..
And here's something most of us don't think about very often..
If you trace back the family history of that integrity filled person..
you will see that not so far back - a solid foundation of truth had been laid and the roots of that family foundation are deeply established in faith, faith in Jesus Christ. You'll also find that the principles of that foundation are based on God's Word - the Bible..
And together (faith and God's Word) have created a moral base for life.
You know, we live in a world today that has no moral gauge - there is no normal when it comes to truth..There's no right or wrong or no one knows where to take a stand or what's right..And those graphic pictures of the Twin Towers that we were reminded of this week are a great example of it - There was no right in that - or no sense of integrity or justice or truth..Just mayhem.
Now..we gasp at that and think how terrible that is..but as a society here in Canada we are heading exactly in the same direction. As a nation, we laugh at God's word and the moral truth stated there..There is no absolute moral truth anymore (at least in some of our minds).
The lines between right and wrong are getting hazier and hazier..And the foundation that this country was founded on is being eroded more and more every day. It seems we have to be tolerant about everything, and can't take a stand on anything...
Seems like these days - taking any kind of stand is seen as intolerance (and that's bad). We can't seem to find our moral compass..We can't find normal..We can't find true north in this society.....Whether it's about families or marriage or education or sex or money....or the debate over when life starts or when it ends....no one in our society today knows where to take a stand. Why? Because we're not ingrained in truth..(capital T Truth anyways..) We're ingrained in a whole bunch of little truths..(anything from positive thinking gurus to Oprah..is where we gather our truth)...and our society is showing where that compass is leading us - by our actions . Our society is a mess morally..we're getting farther and farther away from God's design every day..Farther away from the truth of His word...
So here's what I'm getting at.."Honesty isn't something you flirt with..you should be married to it!" (Cowboy Proverb)
If you want to be a genuine person - a person who lives the truth - who has integrity and honesty as their markers...
A person who knows where true north is - morally - then your life must be built on Truthful principles (capital T)..not shifting every day like our culture is...
In Psalm 51 in the Bible it says this - "Surely, God, you desire truth in our inmost parts." You know folks, all of us have that innate desire - a longing within us to find answers to our spiritual questions....We all want to know truth...because we believe Jesus' words when He said "The truth shall set you free." We all desire to feel that freedom. But Jesus also said..John 8:36 - "If I set you free, you will be free indeed.." And then He continued with that line.."I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." People - hear this - Build your life on the principles and life of Jesus Christ and you'll know truth north.
Let Jesus guide your choices, let God's Word create your value system, let Jesus lead your life..Allow Him to direct you where you need to go. Here's a great verse about seeking real truth:
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths (trails) straight."
Folks, trust me on this one. The trail God is calling us to walk on today is one with a very solid foundation - a trail marked with honesty and integrity - morality and truth as its signposts..
Life's too short to not walk on that kinda trail.
A LEGACY WORTH LEAVING
Let me talk about family for a minute -- because it's such a huge part of the trail God has provided for me..
You know, growing up in our family was the absolute best because everything we did, we did together. Everything -- cooking, baking, gardening, doing chores, playing sports, playing piano, raising cattle, horseback riding and every meal.that was simply one of the highest values we had. We had each other and that mattered. We stood up for each other, and we backed each other and we laughed together.
and we cried together and we fought together and we made up together and we played together and we worked with each other, because each other is all we had - and it was wonderful. We all loved our family.and that was one piece of a very solid foundation built for my life to be based on-family mattered. We all knew it, and so did the rest of our community. They knew the Angells were about being a close-knit family, and I can't tell you what that's done for me in my adult life, now having three kids of my own. Somehow I want to create in this next generation what I had the privilege of knowing firsthand in mine - family matters.
But besides all that stuff, my folks left a spiritual legacy as well - they started us walking down a pathway to God - they gave us a clear faith picture of faith in Jesus Christ. See, both of my folks were first generation followers of Jesus Christ.meaning they were both the first in their immediate family line to step out and declare their faith as a foundation that their lives would be built on.
I guess I'll never know what that commitment to God cost them.but it did cost.there is no question.
Every faith decision costs, but the payback is well worth it.and for my folks, the payback will last for generations.through their grandkids and great-grandkids.
Spiritually, my folks taught us only one major thing: that faith in Jesus didn't have a lot to do with sitting in our pew on a Sunday morning. That was important, but real faith was what happened the rest of the week. Real faith was 24-7 and it was intensely personal.not private, but personal. We knew all along that our faith was an individual choice that each of us boys had to make. Mom and Dad would show us the way, but it was up to us to follow Jesus. It was our decision.and I remember making that decision. It was the winter of 1979.I was about 12.my mom was praying with us (like she always did before bed).and my little brother knew it was his time to step out personally in faith. So my mom happily led him in a prayer of commitment.and I believe that prayer stays with him even to this very day. He's wandered a bit - but he'll be back.
Anyway, kind of a funny story.he does his business with God and Mom, and then he immediately looks over at me and says."Isn't it about time you did that?" And he just very simply and easily asked the question that would change the course of my life forever - a decision to personally follow Jesus. Well, I said, "Yes, I guess it is about time." - so Mom led me in a prayer where I invited Jesus to come into my life and forgive my sin.and begin to lead me and I began to walk on a trail I would never regret.
This is what the Native people in our area call the God-stone. It was and still is at times a place where in Native religion they worshipped the sun god. To them it was a sacred rock.to me it stands for something else. To me, this rock represents a solid foundation.
There's a river just about 100 yards below this rock where our family used to have picnics and where I spent a lot of time as a kid. To me, that rock is sacred, as well.because it reminds me of the sacrifices my folks made to make family and faith solid foundations in our lives. And folks, you can build your life on a rock solid foundation like that.
One more thought - my mom's Bible. It always sat in the center of our family table and we all knew growing up that it was what our home and family was based on -- God's Word. It had the answer to all of life's questions and all of life's challenges.which usually ended with this verse from the book of Ephesians (my mom's favorite), "Children, obey your parents. Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth" (Ephesians 6:1). Her favorite line was this, "You better obey us.or I'll make sure your life here on earth is short!"
There's a verse in the Old Testament book of Joshua where this great leader, Joshua, calls the people of Israel together after years of being miraculously led by God and he says this to all the people about the future.he says, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"
(Joshua 24:15).
That's the foundation my folks set up for us. In our hearts we all knew our home was one of faith in Jesus Christ based on God's Word.and it was a foundation God used to start me walking on His trail in my life..
Folks, I hope you hear what I'm saying - Life's too short not to leave a legacy of faith for your kids to walk on..Give them a clear path to follow by choosing for yourself this day whom you will serve..
But as for me and my house - we'll serve the Lord.
THE GREAT ADVENTURE
One last thought - Next week, we're gonna talk about living up to our potential in life - about living out the dreams God has for us..
We'll get into that in detail next week - But what I want to do is point you down that road a bit..so you can think about it during this week..
The trail that God is calling us to walk on in this life is not just one of legacy and integrity - but one of adventure as well..A life of fulfillment and meaning. A life of direction and calling..and like I said at the beginning - so often life can weigh us down and stop us from seeing the heights to which we are being called..
And relationships and stress and setbacks and tragedy can so often cloud our vision and pull us off the trail..In sharp contrast to those thoughts are these words from Jesus..
John 10:10: "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says this."Those who follow Christ become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!"
Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do."
Folks, my thinking is this - Maybe we need a reminder about where real life and life change comes from..I mean, most of us wake up every day thinking this..If anything is gonna go right today, it's gonna have to be me that's got to get it right..Well, that's partially true. But folks, my last thought is really pretty basic..If you want a real and better life tomorrow morning, wake up with Jesus - Before your feet hit the floor - ask Him to lead you - ask Him to guide you - ask Him to help you love people and see the future clearly.
Ask Him to help you live a life of integrity and then partner up with Him on the tough stuff. Ask Him for the faith and strength you need to keep going when the going gets tough..
My suggestion is this - Above all else guard your heart (your soul). It is the well spring. Life's too short not to..And please don't walk through life alone - Walk with Jesus. It was never in the design - We were created for a different path..and that trail of faith is well marked..Iraneus said this.."The glory of God is a man who is fully alive." Well folks, we've much to learn about living. But we've got to learn it in a new way -- by following a clear cut trail of faith steps that leads to life!
