It's not time for the lake (or heaven) yet!

On Tuesday afternoon my mind headed north to my cabin.  I got a call from a guy who will be doing some repairs to my boat, and that effectively ended my day of work.  My mind went on vacation, pondering the warm sun, the gentle lap of the waves, the splash of the Northern as it fights against the line, the crackle of a campfire at the lake.  Summer.  Vacation.  Boats.  Fishing.  Peace.  Quiet.  There’s something special about going to the cabin.  It’s a place where I connect with my family in special ways.  I have time to take naps.  My stress level fades away.  For a few hours on Tuesday afternoon, I longed for the days of summer when I’d get to go north.  I attempted to get back to the tasks at hand, but I kept finding myself looking ahead at the calendar.  I wanted to hit fast-forward and speed to another day.  The allure of the future overwhelmed my life in the present.

But do I REALLY want to skip by the present?  As I come down from the high (and busyness) of Holy week and Easter, there are a lot of exciting things happening in my life.  Peace Lutheran Church is embarking on some cutting edge conversations about ways to approach faith formation for all ages.  Next week the retired pastors of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod come to Eyota and I get to tell them about the vibrant ministry that is taking place both here at Peace and in our African National ministries throughout the Synod.  This Saturday my son Ben gets to be a part of a state competition for Academic Triathlon.  I get to go see him do well at his junior high track meets.  One of my favorite bands (Fireflight) has a concert in a couple weeks…in Kasson of all places!  I have a niece that was born last month…and a nephew on the way next month.  What an awesome spring!

While for a few hours I wanted to skip past it all and head right to the lake, to do so would be to miss out on so many exciting opportunities between now and then.  I can look forward to what will come…but for now I can simply live in the moment, enjoying all that God brings my way.

A similar temptation hit me on Sunday morning.  Amid all the excitement of Jesus’ resurrection, I reflected on eternity.  Jesus powerful actions defeated death forever.  Death could not hold Him, and it will not hold me!  I longed for the day when I get to intimately walk with my Lord, when I will join the heavenly choirs in celebration of God’s glory.  That day of perfection has already come for my mother, Edee Reuss.  It will be awesome when that day comes for me!  For a brief moment the allure of the future overwhelmed my life in the present.

But do I REALLY want to skip by the present?  In faith I can look ahead to life with God forever, but that doesn’t mean that I have to overlook the time I get to have with God now!  God has blessed me in so many ways, with a loving family, a good profession, quirky friends, and even a cabin on a lake full of fish.  What an awesome life!

While for a few hours I wanted to skip past it all and head right to the heavenly throne room, to do so would be to miss out on so many exciting opportunities between now and then.  I can look forward to what will come…but for now I can simply live in the moment, enjoying all that God brings my way.