I’ve often heard it said that life is the book you write.
That may be true.
I often wonder what the final chapter in my book might be.
Don’t we all?
In school I wasn’t much of a reader. I could read through something and take a test at the end and not remember much. Even until this very day, I find myself going back to previous paragraphs to find out what or who they are writing about.
I clearly remember when we would take turns reading in class. The teacher would call on certain kids to pick up where the last one left off. That meant you really had to pay attention.
I didn’t.
“I’ve lost my place!” I’d tell him.
He knew it, that’s why he called on me.
That book of life I spoke about earlier is like that for me. I really have to pay attention more because all too often I discover that I have lost my place.
Either someone turned the pages way too soon, or I wasn’t finished writing my part and they moved on.
I’ve seen that look on people’s faces. Friends, family, perfect strangers standing there wondering what happened.
If my life were a boat instead of a book, I’d try to drop anchor so that it didn’t move too far from where I wanted to be.
Now, I find myself flipping back through the pages of my life trying to find the place where I left off. You know, the place in the story line that I remember clearly. Perhaps where the story looked more promising.
I know that I am not alone. There seems to be a number of people who are wondering how the story of their life got to this point.
“Can I take this manuscript and have it edited, maybe change the plot line?” I asked of God.
“You can’t rewrite the past. You can only write the present and change the future story day by day,” He said.
“But I’ve lost my place!” I said.
“Then pay more attention!” He responded sternly.
I took a chance and asked, “So, how many more chapters do I have to left to write?”
There was a pause.
“It’s not the number of chapters in the book of life that matters.” He said. “It’s the quality of the writing.”
“I use parables,” I said.
“My Son did, too. You can find His work in the Bible. You’ve read it, right?”
“I’m sorry. I lost my place,” I said.
“Nobody likes wise guys,” He said.
“Hey, you made me!”
We both laughed. I hope.
Bob Perks bobperks@comcast.net