By Dr. Joe Yelton
Interim Pastor
A few days ago, Corinne and I entered the immortal halls of grandparentdom. At our ages, we are late entering the learning curve of what’s involved and being Sophia‘s grandmother and grandfather. It occurs to me that she will graduate high school in 18 years.… When we will be 86 years old. And yes, in spite of the joy of this wonderful birth, it also occurs to me that there is a fairly pronounced likelihood that one or both of us will not be around any longer to watch her walk the stage.
Be assured, the vast majority of my thoughts, this past week have been filled…even overflowing with joy. Still, there is the nagging awareness that the sands in my hourglass are running low.
We can’t slow the sand from slipping through. However, we can, with great intention and energy, build a relationship with Sophia, assuring that our pieces of her puzzle will be important.
In our Christian lives, we may come to a place in which the evidence indicates that we have been sluggish in our dedication to Jesus. The temptation can be overwhelming to accept our failure, lick our wounds, and continue doing as we’ve always done.
The better way would be a fresh commitment, starting right now. It’s never too late to do the right thing. If you have breath, you have an opportunity to become more of what Christ calls you to be. You are my faith-family, and it’s important that we not only remind one another of the joy of our salvation, but that we find fresh ways to encourage one another into a closer walk.
I may or may not make it to Sophia‘s graduation. I’m sure gonna try. But this I can tell you, I am determined to be a more faithful child of God. That part is in my hands. Join me, please. First Baptist Sylva is an amazing enterprise of some of God‘s choicest people. But let us be reminded, if we continue doing as we’ve always done, we will continue getting what we’ve always gotten. It’s not too late to walk the stage, wearing the gowns and banners of Kingdom achievement.
– Joe