“You Are Missing the Big Picture”: What Surviving Cancer and Cardiac Arrest Taught Me About the End Times
Every day, I take time to sit before my computer and write. It is becoming a habit, putting words down to help wake up my mind.
Sometimes it is morning, and sometimes it is late afternoon. I work the night shift three nights a week, so the hours of the day can become confusing.
I begin by writing random thoughts. After twenty minutes or so, I take inventory of the sentences and look at what I have been circling. That gives me an idea of where the piece may be heading. Then the real work begins.
Looking at what I have written this morning, it appears that my writing process has taken the lead. Well, why not? Coffee in one hand and typing with the other. Typing one-handed is not easy, but I do it. I have never really done things the easy way. Those who have been following my writing probably already know that about me.
Why shouldn’t I write? It helps me take all these train cars passing through my mind and place them in some sensible order.
I have been asked whether I really write my pieces. The answer is yes. Most of my writing is based on rebuilding my life after cancer and cardiac arrest, but it also centers on my work history and, most definitely, my faith.
Faith in God and faith in humanity.
God, faith, and humanity. Three words that catch my attention.
Last evening, I attended Wednesday night church class. The topic of the end came up. I am talking about the “End Times,” prophecy, and whether something is truly prophetic.
It is an interesting subject, but it is still only that: a subject. I am not here to argue over who is right and who is wrong. Something else is standing in the corner, waving a red flag frantically.
Upon closer examination, the flag appears to be sending a message:
“End Times? Really? That is what you are worried about? YOU ARE MISSING THE BIG PICTURE!”
Wow. That was loud and a little rude.
End-times discussions can create what I call a fire-ant mentality. Everyone gets fired up about what this horn means, what that lamp represents, and which beast is which. There are loads of beasts. Before long, folks begin biting and stinging one another ferociously.
There are images of impending Heaven or Hell, but it often seems to me that people are more concerned with proving who is right and who is wrong. Certainly, examination has its place, but the big picture may be standing right next to you.
It is the neighbor in need.
It is the homeless person barely hanging on.
It is the child wishing for a new pair of shoes, or perhaps needing an adult to make them feel safe.
For me, the true meaning of the End Times is beginning to come into focus.
I once had a near end-time moment of my own. Yes, you have heard the story before, probably ad nauseam, but we are touching it again.
It was my near ending.
That is the bigger picture.
We do not know when, where, or how our end will come, but most assuredly, it will come. There is that red flag again.
I have finally stopped wondering when it will happen, whether it will happen soon, and what every symbol might mean. For me, the question has become much more personal:
I was granted more life. What will I do with it?
I choose love.
All right, that sounds rather late 1960s or early 1970s, but what is love to me? Well, I am glad you asked.
Love is being present. It is giving time or aid to another person. It is holding a hand when someone is frightened. It is standing quietly beside someone in grief or sadness. It is celebrating their joy and triumphs.
It is agape, of course, and eros too. It is friendship, family, mercy, compassion, and simply refusing to walk away.
This makes me ask what I am doing at this moment with the life I have been given. Where am I succeeding in my walk with humanity?
For me personally, I hope my remaining time leads me into a walk that allows the light of the Creator to be seen in my actions, and perhaps even in my private thoughts.
When people see me, do they think nothing and move on? Do they think, “He must be a jerk, strutting around like a peacock”?
Well, I am probably more of a barn sparrow with a few missing feathers, but I digress.
What do people see when they encounter me?
Do they see hope, care, love, and friendship? Or do they see judgment, disgust, and pain?
I hope they see a spark, even a glimmer, of the Creator.
These are the questions and thoughts that come to me when someone approaches me about the End Times. I must ask myself why I should spend so much time worrying about the end when I need to live as though today could be the end.
Did I care enough?
Did I love enough?
Did I hold enough hands?
Did I let my family and friends know that I love them?
Did I pass someone in the grocery store and let them know that I saw them, that they were not merely background noise?
I am here briefly, and so are you. In fact, all of us are here only briefly, barely a whisper passing through time.
If I am living a life of service, following the teachings of Christ, loving God, and caring for those placed in my path, then perhaps I can say, “I’ve got this.”
End-times prophecy may offer interesting thoughts and discussions, but for me, it remains secondary.
The greater question is here and now:
Is my heart open to receive you?
That is my purpose.
That is my goal.
“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.”
John 1:5, NASB
If this piece gave you something to think about, I invite you to pick up your Bible and visit a local Church of Christ.
If you are in the Gladewater, Texas, area, come visit us at:
North Loop Church of Christ
1000 North Loop 485
Gladewater, Texas 75647
