“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
– Augustine
My dear feisty, loving mother died on October 11, 2011, at the age of 95. During the decade prior to her homegoing, she moved at least six times, and the moves primarily involved my husband, me, family members, and dear friends. We would move her where she wanted to go, and within about a year, she wanted to move again because it just didn’t feel right to her. When she went to be with the LORD, one of her dear friends said, “That was her last move!” It was so true that we put “Mom’s Last Move” on her gravestone. Perhaps the above quote by Augustine is the reason for her restless heart; she was made for God and finally found her rest in Him.
In Genesis 23, we have the story of Sarah’s last move, her death. Abraham mourned her and prepared for her burial. He spent a veritable fortune to buy the field, the cave, and the trees. He buried his wife there in Machpelah, and later this same cave would be the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even now, this cave of the patriarchs can be visited.
We all have one: a last move. In Psalm 90:10, we read, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty…” and in verse 12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” If anyone believes this is all there is, they would say as Solomon does in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘vanity of vanities! All is vanity!’” Life has no meaning? Depressing much? But we know “God is,” and He has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). That feeling of restlessness and longing is an inner knowing that this is not all there is. Amidst a world in chaos, when we are surrounded by evil, fulfillment comes in knowing God made us, knows where we are, knows what we are thinking/feeling, has a purpose for us, and we are at home with Him.
Unless Christ returns first, we all will walk through the doorway of death. But, oh, if your foundation is in Christ, the other side of that doorway is full of unspeakable joy and love beyond comprehension because we will finally be with the One who made us for eternal life with Him.
This reminded me of a poem by C.T. Studd (1860-1931), a man born into a wealthy British family who had it all. He had a great education (Cambridge), was a famous athlete, and was wealthy. But it was all “vanity of vanities,” and he gladly gave it all up to serve Christ as a pioneering missionary in China, India, and Africa. One of his legacies to us is a poem he wrote, and this devotion closes with two of its stanzas.
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member