Monday, 2/17/14
When do you throw away your tube of toothpaste? Do you discard it when it gets close to the end or do you squeeze out every last dab? How about your bar of soap? Do you throw the last little slivers away or do you find a way to use them? I have no idea of the percentages but my guess is that those who get all they can from their toothpaste tube and bar of soap are in the minority. And if that is the case, I am in the minority. I also suspect that many who are in the majority think that those in the minority might have a cheapskate mentality. That could be, but in my case, I get everything I can from these two items because they remind me of our lives. I have often said that our lives are like a tube of toothpaste and we should not leave this world while we still have something to offer.
In sports, you often hear an athlete claim that he or she left everything out on the court or on the field, which implies that they gave until they could give no more. Many people, when they get into their senior years, often get depressed because they feel worthless, unneeded, and unwanted. They focus on the fact that they can no longer do the things they did before, but they fail to see that the Lord still has them here for a reason. My mom spent the last few years of her life bedridden, yet even like that, her courage and positive attitude was a huge source of inspiration, especially because of her condition. Many in my family questioned God’s purpose back then in keeping her here for so long in her bedridden state but I choose to believe it was because of the inspiration she gave to me and many others.
Almost all people my age rarely have a day completely free of some pain or discomfort, but I pray we’ll all want to be like the tube of toothpaste that is used to the very last dab. Ecclesiastes 12:1 has this foreboding message: Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” That is certainly true in the human realm, but in Christ, one more day here on earth is one more opportunity to do what we can, regardless of our age. Let’s give it our all while we’re still here and make a sincere effort to end our earthly race like the Apostle Paul. His declaration will be our Memory verse for the week:
I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)
