I hope that everyone had at least one opportunity to enjoy a firework show to celebrate Independence Day over the past week. I think it's amazing that nearly every small town in America seems to have some sort of festival and firework show to celebrate our nation's freedom; a freedom that many have fought and died for which is so vital to our way of life in this country and we should all be deeply grateful for those who have sacrificed their time, energy, and lives to defend our nation.
But back to the fireworks. Depending on where you're watching and who you're watching with, the best part of a firework show is either the first BOOM and flash of light when the kids sit down and start to be still and quiet for a minute; or it's the final climax when the exhibitors show you their best, brightest, and loudest - the grand finale! For those seconds the sky lights up like the middle of the day, the booms don't seem too loud anymore, and it creates an almost magical glow if you look at your loved ones during this time. But then moments later, it all stops. The light fades, the booms cease, the "ooohh's" and "aaahh's" stop, and the smoke clears. And just like that, it's all over.
One day, each of us will have our own finale, albeit we aren't guaranteed it will be a grand one. And when we do, a lot of things that we thought were important won't matter anymore. I can assure you that at your finale, your car, house, career, body, or investments will longer have an impact on you. The way I see it, when my life on earth is finished, there are only two things that are going to matter.
1. What happens to my family after I'm gone? When I reach my finale I realize that I won't be able to physically communicate or have an impact on my family anymore. And I honestly do hope that heaven (see #2) is so amazing that I forget about them at least for a few moments while I savor God's presence. But the cold hard fact is what a good friend told me one time, "The worst part of death is that life goes on." My wife, my children, my co-workers (since I'll never get to retire) and my friends will still wake up the next day. There will still be chores to be done, meals to be cooked, and sadly bills to be paid.
How can I rest in peace if I don't leave them with some peace of mind? By doing one of the least fun, least cool things there is to do in your 20s or 30s - buying life insurance. My wife and I did just that a few years ago with our first child and now again with our second. We also have purchased policies to protect the other if one of us were to have an earlier than expected finale. They aren't cheap but are not ridiculously expensive either. I imagine that ALL of our 4 policies would be close to some people's car payment. Do you think you could forego that next new car to give a gift like that to your children? And leave your spouse with the peace of mind of financial stability should disaster strike? Could we put that money aside each month and take elaborate vacations or buy luxurious items? Yes. But those will all fade away much like we will. And I would rather give my family financial peace than a little more fun right now.
2. Where will I go when I die? Now I'm going to keep this response short because we could dive into theology and make a research paper on this, but I don't want to lose you here. I'll bet that the most well-known verse in the Bible is John 3:16 which reads, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." When we die, we will go to one of two places: Heaven or Hell. Don't overthink it or overcomplicate it. When you die, you will go to ONE of these destinations. You're not coming back as a butterfly, a tree, or a unicorn.
This is not a choice you get to make after your grand finale. Making the decision to accept God's son, Jesus, as your Savior before you die is what will determine where YOU spend eternity. As a Christian, you're not required to never sin again (though we try to do good), you're not required to know the entire bible (though we should study it), and you're not required to understand everything in the universe (we are called to believe). If you want to know more about heaven or hell, please contact me, your local pastor, your bible, or Christian websites.
Again, I hope everyone got to see, hear, smell, and fully experience some firework shows. And I hope that the grand finales didn't disappoint. But be sure while you live your life here, that the show is good and that the finale is better. Just remember, when your show ends, others still life left to live. Be sure you've considered the two thoughts above.
Note: I do not have any type of percentage ownership of an insurance company (one repays dividends at added coverage but not much) nor am I being compensated by any insurance company in the writing of this article. This is my personal and nonpaying opinion and blog.
But back to the fireworks. Depending on where you're watching and who you're watching with, the best part of a firework show is either the first BOOM and flash of light when the kids sit down and start to be still and quiet for a minute; or it's the final climax when the exhibitors show you their best, brightest, and loudest - the grand finale! For those seconds the sky lights up like the middle of the day, the booms don't seem too loud anymore, and it creates an almost magical glow if you look at your loved ones during this time. But then moments later, it all stops. The light fades, the booms cease, the "ooohh's" and "aaahh's" stop, and the smoke clears. And just like that, it's all over.
One day, each of us will have our own finale, albeit we aren't guaranteed it will be a grand one. And when we do, a lot of things that we thought were important won't matter anymore. I can assure you that at your finale, your car, house, career, body, or investments will longer have an impact on you. The way I see it, when my life on earth is finished, there are only two things that are going to matter.
1. What happens to my family after I'm gone? When I reach my finale I realize that I won't be able to physically communicate or have an impact on my family anymore. And I honestly do hope that heaven (see #2) is so amazing that I forget about them at least for a few moments while I savor God's presence. But the cold hard fact is what a good friend told me one time, "The worst part of death is that life goes on." My wife, my children, my co-workers (since I'll never get to retire) and my friends will still wake up the next day. There will still be chores to be done, meals to be cooked, and sadly bills to be paid.
How can I rest in peace if I don't leave them with some peace of mind? By doing one of the least fun, least cool things there is to do in your 20s or 30s - buying life insurance. My wife and I did just that a few years ago with our first child and now again with our second. We also have purchased policies to protect the other if one of us were to have an earlier than expected finale. They aren't cheap but are not ridiculously expensive either. I imagine that ALL of our 4 policies would be close to some people's car payment. Do you think you could forego that next new car to give a gift like that to your children? And leave your spouse with the peace of mind of financial stability should disaster strike? Could we put that money aside each month and take elaborate vacations or buy luxurious items? Yes. But those will all fade away much like we will. And I would rather give my family financial peace than a little more fun right now.
2. Where will I go when I die? Now I'm going to keep this response short because we could dive into theology and make a research paper on this, but I don't want to lose you here. I'll bet that the most well-known verse in the Bible is John 3:16 which reads, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." When we die, we will go to one of two places: Heaven or Hell. Don't overthink it or overcomplicate it. When you die, you will go to ONE of these destinations. You're not coming back as a butterfly, a tree, or a unicorn.
This is not a choice you get to make after your grand finale. Making the decision to accept God's son, Jesus, as your Savior before you die is what will determine where YOU spend eternity. As a Christian, you're not required to never sin again (though we try to do good), you're not required to know the entire bible (though we should study it), and you're not required to understand everything in the universe (we are called to believe). If you want to know more about heaven or hell, please contact me, your local pastor, your bible, or Christian websites.
Again, I hope everyone got to see, hear, smell, and fully experience some firework shows. And I hope that the grand finales didn't disappoint. But be sure while you live your life here, that the show is good and that the finale is better. Just remember, when your show ends, others still life left to live. Be sure you've considered the two thoughts above.
Note: I do not have any type of percentage ownership of an insurance company (one repays dividends at added coverage but not much) nor am I being compensated by any insurance company in the writing of this article. This is my personal and nonpaying opinion and blog.
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