“In the twinkling (blink) of an eye”

I Corinthians 15:52 (KJV) says, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Many times in my life the phrase, “in the blink of an eye” has come to mind. So many times I have talked to my son Jack about keeping things in perspective when he feels like his world is falling apart. I tell him that as much as we set goals, plan for things and work for things; it can all change in an instant. Things happen in life that change our focus, redirect our path and make us rethink our priorities. One of the stories I tell him is when Tommy was in a bad burn accident when he was about 15. While I was a stay at home mom, I was an independent contractor for a party plan company. This particular year their trip contest was a trip to Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Tommy was always in awe of the commercials about that place and wanted to go there. I love traveling with my children and seeing the world through their eyes, so I decided that I would map out a plan to win the trip for our family that year. I was about 3/4 of the way to my goal when Tommy was in a bad burn accident. A trip to the ER that I thought would result in patching him up and sending him home, ended up being a 2 week stay in the ICU burn unit with months of rehab once we went home. In all of about 2 hours our lives went from everyday normal and close to winning a trip for the family to another focus. The only thing that mattered was getting Tommy back to health and mobility.

As I look back over the last 4 months of this year while I am recouperating from brain surgery, that phrase keeps coming to mind. I started the year scheduling events, book signings and speaking engagements. I was scheduled up through the month of June and then the pandemic hit. “In the blink of an eye” all that was scheduled and planned all went away. I was discouraged and trying to figure out my next move, when a trip to the ER for something totally unrelated revealed a tumor in my brain that was eating away at my bone. Again, “in the blink of an eye” I found myself stressing over how I was going to prepare my family to live life without me. “In the blink of an eye” my focus changed, my plans changed and my perspective changed. Here I am today, almost 4 weeks after surgery, recuperating and getting restless to get back to work and put things back on track along with the rest of the world. I am also reminded of God’s mercy and grace, and how thankful to Him that I am for another day He has given me to be with my family and friends. There are so many other thoughts and things that God has taught me I would like to share, but it is not for today. It will probably be my next book. Lol! So during this time, I am using it to put my life in perspective and to prioritize the important things. Maybe that is the message that God is sending us through all of this.

Back to I Corinthians 15:52, Apostle Paul is writing to the church of Corinth. In this book, he is pointing out problems in the lifestyle of the church along with the immorality and giving them counsel. This scripture has come back to me so many times throughout my life. I am reminded of how quickly things will change when Christ returns and that we must be ready. Many of you are probably familiar with the Left Behind series of books and even the movies. In times of tragedy, life changes and frightening moments, is God simply reminding us that we must be ready for His return. Because on that day the trump will sound, the dead shall rise and we will be changed all “in the blink of an eye”. In order to spend eternity in heaven with Him we must be a follower of Christ. So I ask you today, Are you a child of God and do you know Him as your Lord and Savior? If not, won’t you consider it today before it is too late? He will return “in the blink of an eye” and we will not know the day or the hour. Don’t get left behind!

Contact me if you would like to talk and learn more. God Bless!