Earlier today, the printer at the CATGrove office began to run low on black ink. Sandy mentioned that the printer was displaying a message: “black cartridge is close to life.” That message got me thinking about a couple things:
1. What in the world does “black cartridge is close to life” mean? Shouldn’t it actually say, “black cartridge is close to death”? Or, “black cartridge is running out of life”? Or, “hey everyone, if you don’t buy a $95 black cartridge for me soon, I’m going to stop printing any words on any of your paper…no matter how important it may be”?
2. Life is less like a box of chocolates, and more like a toner cartridge for a color laser printer…we do ultimately know what we’re going to get…we just don’t know when. We are all close to death. We are all running out of life.
3. How many of us realize we are “close to death”? How do we live with that understanding in mind? What changes are played out on a day by day basis as we live “close to death”?
4. Finally, what would our lives look like if we lived “close to death and close to life”? What if we really lived with urgency and understanding that our “life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away” (James 4:14)? What if we woke up every morning and told God that “I am yours today…use me however you wish…lead me wherever you want me to go…I will follow you…I will obey you…I will live in the middle of life and death…dead to myself…alive in Christ”?
Time is ticking away. We will all be dead someday. In fact, right now we are all very “close to death.” At the same time, though, we are also all “close to life.” We can change the world with the good news about Jesus. We can offer the Way, the Truth, and the Life to others around us. That is what we are called to do.
I can’t wait to see you guys this weekend! Enjoy the rest of your week.
