Carpe Diem!

Rosie Girl and I watched “Dead Poets’ Society” this week and I was reminded of one of my favorite scenes.

Mr. Keating encourages his students to “seize the day” and “gather your rosebuds while ye may” because they are “food for worms, lads”.

But, is that all we are, “food for worms”?  Certainly, our bodies will decompose back into dust, but God has given humans souls and has “set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecc. 3:11).  We are created in the image of God.  We can approach the “throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16).  Doesn’t sound like vermiculture to me!

A friend and I were discussing this today at lunch.  As humans, we are created for eternity, so how does that impact our life on earth?  My friend said (and I agree with her) that our time on earth is “boot camp” for eternity.  This is where we get practice in loving God, serving others, and worshipping God.  Ephesians 5:15-16 reminds us to make the most of our time here on earth.

It’s something of a balancing act, isn’t it?  We look forward to Heaven (“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  Colossians 3:3) but have the opportunity to serve God in the here and now and tell others the amazing news of the Kingdom of God.  In John 17, Jesus prayed to the Father that his followers would be in the world, but not of the world. No, it’s not either/or – it’s both/and.  We get to set our minds on things above, but keep our feet down here on the ground.

Yes, we are to seize the day!!  Take hold of today and do whatever God puts in front of you to do.  It won’t be the same as what God gives me or your next door neighbor.  Just do it!  And not because you are food for worms – but because you are destined for Heaven!!