“No Doubt!”

This reflection was occasioned by a particularly serious Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, in which Calvin and his stuffed-tiger friend Hobbes come across a small bird that has died. As they bend down to look at it on the ground, Calvin says, “Isn’t it beautiful? It’s so delicate… Once it’s too late, you appreciate what a miracle life is… you realize that our existence is very fragile, temporary, and precious…”

Then he sighs, “But to go on with your daily affairs, you can’t really think about that… which is probably why everyone takes the world for granted and why we act so thoughtlessly.”

As they stand up and begin to walk away, Calvin reflects: “It’s very confusing… I suppose it will all make sense when we grow up.”

And Hobbes replies, sadly, “No doubt!”

Every day I am reminded of the frailty of life. With so much uncertainty around me, I am determined to “number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.”

How do we “number our days” with care and make every one count? How do we get the most out of this life and not jeopardize or sacrifice our eternal life? We are advised to fear God, keep His commandments, seek first His kingdom, and love Him with all our heart and soul and mind. If we do this, we will be blessed; if not, we will be cursed.

If we dwell with Him, we will rest in His shadow; He will save us from snare and pestilence; we will be covered by His presence; and under His wings we will find refuge.

If we love Him, He will rescue us, protect, answer, deliver, and honor us. He will satisfy us with long life, and He will show us salvation.

But if we are senseless and wicked, or if we are fools and evildoers, we will be repaid for our sins, and we will be scattered and destroyed.

Just as the scope of God’s power is incomprehensible to me, so also I cannot fathom the depth of His love for those who keep His commandments, nor His wrath against those who ignore Him. Such awareness would be so weakening, so debilitating, that perhaps God, aware of our frail nature, knew we could not exist in this world with such complete knowledge of His awesome being.

My prayer is to kneel before Jesus, weak with reverence but strong in faith, and feel his hands reach to lift me up to join those good and faithful servants. There­after, at the feet of the teacher, the healer, the warrior, the priest, and the king, I will at last “gain a heart of wisdom”, and dwell in his kingdom of peace and joy and love forever.

There, surely, it will all make sense.
No doubt.