Ruth had been in a coma for several days when my friend Bryan walked into the room. Bryan served as a hospice chaplain and began praying with Ruth's daughters. As Bryan prayed, the daughter cried and shook with grief. When Bryan said, "Amen," Ruth spoke for the first time in a long time and replied, "Amen."
My friend Bryan spent years sitting with men and women like Ruth. He had the privilege of hearing them share their stories and recount their most memorable moments, shepherding them and their families through the grief process.
We were chatting recently about Bryan's new book, Neighbor Love Yourself, when Bryan told me about his time with Ruth. Bryan shared with me how that conversation helped him consider how he lived. Ruth's experience at the end helped him live more intentionally with the end in mind.
It's easy to get swept up in this life's bloated schedules and busyness. We go from one place to the next, trying to keep up with phone calls, texts, emails, and what's happening on social media. The year flies by, and we wonder where the time is going.
In those moments when life is happening to us more than we're intentionally living it, we need the reset that Charity Gayle's new song "I Believe" provides us. From the opening verse, Gayle recalls the consistency of God.
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"From the beginning
You've been unchanging
Age to age: You stay
Constant You remain."
After the chorus begins with reminders of the consistent identity and activity, Gayle declares what she's doing.
"You'll come through, You are always able
I believe You've already made a way
So I'm running through parted waves
Straight to You, You are always faithful."
The verses of "I Believe" draw on a variety of passages through Scripture. Gayle describes the promises of God as a firm foundation, referencing Jesus' metaphor of building on a rock in Matthew 7:24-27. She draws on the word picture of Isaiah 53:5, where the prophet foretold how Jesus' wounds would lead to our healing. Gayle even points to Jesus' promises of His church prevailing over the gates of Hell in Matthew 16:17-19.
When we know what God has done in the past, we can undoubtedly take greater steps of obedience and courage in the present. But we can also look ahead to God's promised work in the future. Gayle helps listeners to look not only back but also ahead.
Near the end of the song, she sings,
"That one day soon You'll split the sky
You're coming for a spotless bride
Until my faith has been made sight
I believe, I believe"
Our vision in life often gets small. We tell a coworker, "We just gotta survive this meeting." We tell our spouse, "We just need to make it through this month, and things will get easier." We tell ourselves, "Keep it together—it won't last forever."
But, when you're laying where Ruth is, and we will all be in a bed like that one day, will we regret merely surviving? Will we be grateful for burning out at work and numbing out at night? Will we wish we had lived differently?
Charity Gayle invites us to consider what we believe and how it's shaping our lives. If we're going to spend eternity with Jesus and we're going to sit next to a hospice chaplain someday, what do we want that conversation with Jesus to be like in heaven? What kind of stories do we want to share with someone at the end?
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We can live today in light of those future moments. We can run through the waves which God parts. We can live with bold faith and courageous obedience because we believe God is who He says He is. God who does what He says He will do.
Today, I encourage you to live with the end in mind. I want to connect what I believe to how I live. I don't know how long God will give me on this earth. But I want my life to matter and to number my days with wisdom, as Psalm 90 mentions. Charity Gayle's song "I Believe" offers a tremendous wake-up call to stop drifting and start truly living!
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps people transform difficult circumstances into places where they can thrive. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and loves watching movies with his wife and three kids. You can begin Scott’s newest project, The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, today.
