“Our expectations for the future determine how we live now.”
_Mike Wittmer
It was ten years ago today (September 7, 2016) that I heard my dad preach for the last time.
It was a funeral message.
Dad was already struggling with his memory issues and was aware of it. But the deceased was a dear friend and former parishioner, and the family asked him to officiate the service and dad gallantly agreed to try.
Mom typed out his message word-for-word for him to read, and I drove over from Mauldin, SC where I was living at the time, to pick him up and be there for moral support.
Dad was very nervous at first, but that day God rolled time back and “Preacher Kemp” was back. He lived up to his moniker: the “Singing Preacher” as he sang and exhorted with a heart of love and a hope of heaven.
Dad’s last message: It was a special moment and one I treasure to this day.
One day we will all do what we’re currently doing for the last time.
One day we will turn our keys in, shut the door, and walk away.
What then?
I am blessed to have a good and godly dad; he has taught me so much—mostly things to do. But one thing that always sadden me (and taught me not to do) was to allow my past to define my future.
Dad struggled with retirement. It always sadden me after my dad retired to hear him say, “I’m just a retired preacher.” Dad could never move beyond what he had been. He struggled to make the transition into what he could become.
What that taught me was that when I walk away from each phase of my life, I must be intentional to also walk towards something that matters. For no matter how beautiful the scenery or pleasant the drive, a journey without a destination eventually becomes unbearable.
General George S. Patton, one of the few generals to see action in both WW1 and WW2 was famous for saying: “I want to die with my boots on.”
I get it, but it is important to understand that it wasn’t his boots that made the difference, it was the fight.
As long as you’re fighting for something or for someone then the journey matters. But the moment the journey just becomes about traveling another mile in as much comfort and peace as possible, that’s when we stop truly living and are just spinning our wheels waiting to die.
The ONE THING for today: One day you will do what you’re currently doing for the last time. Leave on your terms. And after you’ve left, step towards something else that matters.
The ONE THING 