We dont truly "own" anything... Every day we are here, from birth to death, we are living on limited borrowed time, walking on land given to us as a stewardship, with things loaned to us to utilize and accomplish. But... sure as the sun comes up.. we will all leave this place empty handed. All the works of our hands, all those things we tend to be so proud of, will pass along to someone else.
My dad almost died as a young man... by all accounts of medical science, he should not have lived to give life to me and my siblings. His survival was "a miracle".. Yet he did live. He lived to see me, the youngest of 4, grow and forge off into my own family. All his live, as long as I can remember, he said "I am living on borrowed time, I would not be here except by the grace of God".
That stuck in my head... every moment we shared, every breath he took, was borrowed time. And yet.. are we any different? None of us really owns anything... it is all given to us, as stewards of this place we call earth, to see what we will do with it. Each of us is given abilities, resources, and time, but only limited time. We walk on ground for a short lifetime, own things for a short lifetime, and control our own piece of the earth, for a short lifetime. Any of us could leave tomorrow just as easily.
This song, from Patti Casey, entitles "it all comes down" ... brings this point home.
My question to you, as you listen to the music and hear the words deep within your soul is this...
"What will you do with your day?"
think about it.. this day, today, is yours. Tomorrow might not be. What will you do with the time given to you?
As a farmer, given stewardship of multiple acres of land, and numbers of animals... This is a sobering thought. How will we leave the land when we are done? will it increase or decrease in fertility? will it be neater, cleaner, more useful or used and abused? What will our legacy be, when the next generation inherits the space we call ours today, when that stewardship passes? What example have we set for the next "owners" ?
I urge you to use today.. and every day we are given going forward, as a day to make this world a better place... do what we can with out "borrowed time" to make life better for those coming after.
And perhaps, this Thanksgiving as we go around the table to list off the things we are thankful for... we can recognize that the very act of breathing is the greatest blessing we can be given. Let us celebrate life... and use that life to spread light to the world we live in, leaving it a better place than we found it.
Lyrics to "It all comes down":
From the time that you set foot upon this earth to pass your days
You are walking on borrowed ground, and you may stake no claims
To the soil and to the water, to the creatures lying by
Even the breath you take is loaned from on high
(chorus)
(It all comes down)
In the end, all the works of your hand
Though built of stone and honesty no earthly house shall ever stand
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end like a hand full of sand
(And it all comes down)
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end
As you walk along those borders with the deed held in your hand
Just remember you don't own this you are a steward of this land
So seek wisdom and show mercy leaving some for another day
For you will call upon yourself the same someday
(It all comes down)
In the end, all the works of your hand
Though built of stone and honesty no earthly house shall ever stand
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end like a hand full of sand
(And it all comes down)
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end
When you drift down like a leaf to find your final resting place
You will return what you have borrowed you will have to show your face
And did you help some troubled soul did you try to lend a hand
For only kindness in the end alone shall stand
(It all comes down)
In the end, all the works of your hand
Though built of stone and honesty no earthly house shall ever stand
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end like a hand full of sand
(and it all comes down)
(and it all comes down)
down in the end
(It all comes down)
In the end, all the works of your hand
Though built of stone and honesty no earthly house shall ever stand
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end like a hand full of sand
(And it all comes down)
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end(And it all comes down)
(And it all comes down)
Down in the end
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