Can't Get It Together
She said, “Just can’t get it together.” She’s only eighty-two and lives by herself after having a stroke. Still drives her car, goes to church, and is quite interactive.
She is a special person to our family -- not blood kin, but kin -- oh, yes, family. She is precious and has been there for us most of our married lives and always with a word of encouragement and helpful hand.
Her words touched my heart. She wants several things to happen at this point in her life. Getting all the different variables together and working a plan is challenging. Her mind is stronger than her body. She thinks ideas that cannot be completed before the day is ended.
“Not getting it all together” is a rather common syndrome. It occurred to me that being older and in poor health is not the reason why we cannot get it all together. Life is filled with vicissitudes. Winds of time blow. The Holy Spirit moves in prophetic fulfillment with precision as per God’s Word. Ill forces of hell also blow to try and disrupt. How do we get it together?
While pondering these thoughts, my phone rang. A dear parishioner called to talk. He has never been difficult, never asked for anything even when having a bad day, and will smile even when taking chemo. He has been told that cancer will soon take its toll for the final call. He called.
His voice was chirpy. He assured me that he did not want to be any burden to me. He spoke of his respect for the pastor and his love for the church body.
In a matter of a few minutes he told me how he has it together. He has already bought and paid for his funeral, made all arrangements, set in order where he is to live until he dies, designed his will, and made sure that appropriate persons have full knowledge of important documents, insurance papers, bank accounts, etc. He assured me that he does not know of anything that remains to be done to finalize his life and prepare for his burial.
We talked about the Lord. Most importantly, he spoke boldly of his faith.
I thought as we talked, “He has it all together.” In the face of death, life became simple; dreams are rested; trips and vacations no longer hold charm. Ordering steps is the key to one more day of peace and contentment.
While still pondering these thoughts, another parishioner came to my office. He had just come from a medical exam. “The nurse said my heart is totally dependent upon my pacemaker.”
“Brother,” I said, “does this mean that if the battery dies your life is over?”
He laughed and said, “I told the nurse that I am likely to wake up dead! She did not laugh, but said ‘You are probably right.’”
As a young pastor I helped build the desk that serves me as pastor. It is a work of art. A friend and I labored over it inch by inch, taking boards and gluing them, shaping, polishing, sanding, rubbing. There are times when I wonder why we did all that work. The wood seems to be covered by an endless stream of paperwork. Almost thirty years of being a pastor and I do not have it together.
Here I am writing about my not having it together. Forgive me. Let me ask: Do you have it all together? Is life a neatly ordered package for you? Do you know what you are going to do as a routine from now until the time you die?
If it appears you only have a few weeks of life left, “getting it all together” in a simple package makes a lot of sense. However, if you have reason to believe that you are going to be around for awhile, please take a little time to make sure that the things you are doing are the things you would be glad you were doing if Jesus were to come today.
Chances are there will be papers on the desk, clothes in the wash, dishes in the sink, and a pile of other chores, plans, and dreams still in the making when Jesus calls. Just be sure your heart is fixed – ready, together. Then, you will have no regrets for eternity. Trying to get it together, Pastor Bare Jeremiah 29:11