There’s a great quote by Salmon Rushdie. He said, “Most of what matters in our lives takes place in our absence.” I never thought about that before but he is absolutely right. We were not present when we were conceived. That was pretty important. Few of us are present when committees decide whether or not to give us a job or allow us to keep the one we have. We are not present when someone decides how much tax we have to pay on our house or out of our paycheck. We are not usually present when someone burglarizes our house or steals our car. If we are brought to trial we are not present when a jury deliberates our fate.
In regard to spiritual things we were not present when Adam and Eve failed and plunged us all into sin. Neither were we present when Jesus gave His live for us to get us out of sin. We are not present when our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life referred to in the Book of Revelation.
I am beginning to wonder if we are present at anything important in our lives. But wait there are some things. We are present when we marry our spouse. That’s pretty important. We are present when we are born. We are present when we die.
At the close of Matthew Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always.” In John He promised to hold us safely in His hand. I really like that kind of presence. It’s the best.
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 15, 2003
Spring of Life, 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453