Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1.21
after nine months that seem to go on forever
her bag was packed for the night before his birth
what would he look like, what would he think about our world
early that morning, in minutes, he was pulled out during a C-section
bloodied, naked, gasping for air, wondering where he was
you can now go home, the doctor said
as a chorus of congratulations rang from the nurses’ ward
tired, anxious, nervous, she mustered strength and left the clinic
sleepless nights, breastfeeding on demand, changing soiled diapers
who is this baby, who might he become, when will all this end
then he opened his eyes a little and made some sounds
and settled in our world, sleeping throughout the night
he was growing longer but also wider as many clothes became tight
then he could sit up, crawl and hold on to things attempting to stand on one leg
and no longer interested in sleeping in a cot
time went by quicker than she could keep a tab on it
first day at nursery was scary as her eyes teared up
leaving him alone for the first time in 30 months
but calling the carers ever so often to check up on him
he’s doing well – a response that sounded almost automated
in ten years, he had learned how to speak, write, and read
almost independent and learning to find his voice
i want to be an astronaut, he said one day
her heart gasped at the thought of a daring adventure
the beginning of a journey she would accept living on the edge of her seat
he certainly had something special about him
a high flyer of sorts from quite a young age
his multiple talents and gits were extraordinary and rare
how does one play the piano, iceskate and write comic books all in one day
many parents adored his achievements and wished he were theirs
the sky would not be the limit as he was heading to space
he excelled at everything his hand found to do
as she spared no expense to give him the best
no lid could stop his steam, no darkness could steal his shine
he stood tall among the crowd you could tell he was different
what many achieved in decades, his milestones were completed in years
married to the love of his life in a beautiful idyllic setting many could only dream of
she was also his colleague at NASA and had earned her PhD at 25
bought his sprawling countryside mansion with no outstanding mortgage
their tiny aircraft sat on an airstrip available whenever they wanted to wander
his was the life to live until the day his puddle jumper fell out of the sky with no warning
how could this happen why did this happen and why now
life seems so unfair and out of control with so much uncertainty and unknownness
especially for those who may have tried to keep everything under control
what had he done to deserve this awful disaster
one minute he was up and about with the world at his feet
next minute it was all over and all that’s left is silence shock and sadness
life cut short so unexpectedly in his prime on his way up
she said she’s not been able to eat or sleep or move
since her son departed from this wicked and evil world
unexpectedly, unannounced out of nowhere tragedy strikes
weighed down by overwhelming grief she could not be consoled
if only she could ask God a question just one word she promises and not any more
why, why him, why now, why did you let it happen, why didn’t you do anything
in the silence she heard those words – naked we came and naked we will all depart
life gets so busy and we seem to be lost in the hustle and bustle
many feeling under so much pressure to pursue their grand ambitions or the expectations of others
society’s unwritten rules keep us expending so much time effort and resources here and there
as we continue to climb up ladders leaning on wrong walls, embarking on journeys God never sanctioned
maybe the answers to these might help reset our perspective- who am I, why am I here and where am I going
as the evening of our lives may approach we wonder where all that time has gone
who knows if our lives have aligned to the Master’s blueprint
or if we found our different paths headed in opposite directions from what He wanted
the trophies on our desks and laurels on our walls reflect our earthly labour and striving
but have we had any chance to lay up treasure where neither moth rust nor thieves can break
when competition and comparison keep us in the rat race longer than we should
and abandoning God’s purpose seems attractive in the short term
or chasing after what’s temporal or fading keeps us up late at night
let’s never forget we brought nothing into this world and will certainly take nothing out
could we hold on loosely to this world’s goods in order to travel light as we’re still all on a journey ‘home’
when we wrestle with more questions than answers
or life does not seem to go as planned as curved balls are thrown in our direction
in the silence in the darkness may God’s still small voice comfort and console
may that flicker of hope give us an unusual calm reminding us this is not the end
someday beyond the chaos we will see Jesus face to face and be with him forever
Lord please help me make the most of the time left, keep my eyes on the cross, my ears tuned to the voice of your Spirit and my heart ready for your return. Amen