The Three F's

Today, the speaker at church spoke on the frailty of life. It's been awhile that I've actually taken note of what the guy on the pulpit says - Not because I've been playing hooky, but simply because there were some messages that never made it to the 'relevant' list. However, George Ong, an itinerant preacher, touched on three points of life that I reckoned were spot-on.

The Three F's - Summarized [II Timothy 4:6-8]

1] Fragility, v. 6, (I think it's correct- Been frantically ransacking my memory for the first one, but it's not popping up; hence, I settled on the next best synonym.)
It's an understood truth that life is fleeting. Here for the now, gone the next time you turn around. But, if life is fleeting, what are we doing with it?

2] Finality - v. 7
Besides the frailty of one's breath, there is a certain sense of finality to it. No matter how we slow down the process of ageing, or psych ourselves that it's a long way away, death is the final end we all face. If life is sealed with a final note, are we ensuring that our lives are lived out, with an end-view in mind? Are we going to finish this God-given race on a triumphant sound? It is not good enough to start well; but the most important thing to remember is, how we end.

3] Finale - v. 8
The Grand Finale, where after we live lives worthy of Christ, we rejoin our Saviour and Father in His Heavenly Kingdom. Simple, no? But then, how many of us are actually making US count here on Earth?

A few days ago, I was reminded of my own mortality. Rushing down the stairs and out of school, I had only one thing on my mind- "Time is short. [Perfect irony?] Need to get the CD for my dance ensemble from the car." And so, I failed to look out for cars. Just as I ran out onto the road, a black Honda came on my right side, driving at quite a fast speed. You know how they say your life flashes in front of your eyes for the final five seconds? Clichéd statement. The only thing that ran through my mind, as both the car and I skidded to an individual halt was, 'Oh my goodness. I ALMOST got knocked by a car!'

Needless to say, the last couple of weeks, incidences have served to warn and remind me that my life is not my own. Neither is it guaranteed. A couple of near accidents, whilst driving- Logically, they couldn't even have taken place; but they almost did. The most recent was the earthquake tremors - Well, so it's impossible for a building in Kota Kemuning to collapse, seeing the disaster was happening in Indonesia. However, I was all alone at work, on the second floor, with the cleaners just leaving. Initially, I thought it was just me feeling 'off,' as I'd injured my back quite badly earlier, twice. But the vibrations I felt were way too strong for someone in a dizzy state; not to mention, I sat very, very still, kind of held my breath, but still saw my legs moving! The long and short of it is, go read the aftermath in the papers of those folks, who had to evacuate from their apartments, or the pregnant woman, who was trapped for hours. The earthquake didn't happen in Malaysia; nothing collapsed; no tsunami; BUT the signs are there to ...

Tell me and you that time is running out. We have only one life to live. One life to give. What are we doing with this gift? Are we running this race well?