On Loan From God

I received an interesting Christmas card this past year or rather, I
should say, an interesting Christmas letter (you know, the kind
everyone loves to hate). In it, the writer told of the death of his Great Aunt Gladys. Now Gladys, at 98, was apparently a fount of wisdom and a blessing to all who knew her. She had lived a wonderful life, and she knew God well. Included with all this was a quote from Aunt Gladys: “We are all here on loan. God is the only one who knows the terms of that loan. Until our loan is called in, we must use all our God-given talents and do our jobs until our work here is done.”

This is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, which is a special time for us to journey through a spiritual wilderness, to explore the depths of our own faith, to search, to reflect and ultimately to renew our commitment to God and to Jesus, His word made flesh. Think about Jesus as a loan from God who walked with us, taught us and provided for us an example and inspiration, whose yield was boundless and timeless, despite the very short term.

Have you thought about the terms of your own loan? Do you know how long it is? Do you know what interest is required? Aunt Gladys did. Do your best, she said. When life is hard, try your hardest and remember God is always with you. When life is easy, give to others. Above all, love God every day.

We may not know the term of our loan, but we know about today. We may have a long loan as Aunt Gladys did, or we may have a short term as did God’s own son. But oh, what he did for us in those short years. Live today as a gift from God. It is a gift, a special gift. Do you do the best with your loan? Think about it.