I almost died this morning...before breakfast

     This morning was about to be my last morning. The morning started out like every other morning. Nothing told me this could be my last morning. I showered, dressed, fed the dog and was on my way to the office. I didn't take the time to fix and eat breakfast. Instead I grabbed something to eat later at the office. I jumped in the car and away I went. I was driving down the road trying to find a radio station that would catch my attention with a song or with something besides commercials when I decided there was nothing entertaining on at the moment. I reach to my visor and grabbed a CD. I had a couple in my hand so I glanced down to see which ones I had. I only read the first on and decided it would work so I quickly looked back up. When I looked back up I immediately noticed a very large truck in my lane coming at a great rate of speed. I blinked once and then I realized he wasn't in my lane I was in his so I steered my car safely back into my lane. I would thank him for slowing down to give me more time for this maneuver but since he didn't slow down I will not thank him. I did refrain from giving the hand gestures that he gave me.
     My first thought cracked me up. I didn't see my whole life flash before me. I didn't have time for that because he didn't slow down. I didn't "see the light" or the "error of my ways" or anything else people say you see when you about die. My first thought was, "I can't wreck this morning because I haven't had breakfast yet." Where did that come from? It wasn't like my breakfast was going to be bacon wrapped steak and eggs or all you can eat pancakes at IHOP. I had grabbed a pack of peanut butter crackers. I wasn't even hungry. That is why I hadn't ate yet. Why was I worried about breakfast?
     So as I continued to drive to the office I began to think about all the other unfinished things I had

in my life. Some of them I have put a lot of time and effort into. Others I had just got started and some are still in the thinking about stage. What would happen to all these unfinished tasks? Would others finish them? Would others even know about them? Would they go unfinished? If others finished them would they do it the way I wanted it done? Could anyone finish them? I begin to worry about those tasks. I decided I would make a list as soon as I got to the office of all my unfinished tasks, rank them by importance of finishing and make notes so that others could finish any I was unable to finish. I decided right there at the intersection of Falls Avenue and Grace Chapel Road that I was going to make it my goal to finish all my unfinished tasks. I was motivated. I was fired up. I was pumped up. I couldn't wait to get stared.
     Just before I got to the church my stomach begin to grumble. It decided it needed a bacon egg & cheese sandwich instead of just peanut butter crackers. So I drove past the church to the Market Basket to grab a sandwich. I got to the office and looked at my phone to find I had some new emails so I went through those as I ate my sandwich. I made a couple of phone calls that I needed to make. I always try to check Facebook before I get started each day because a lot of times I find out about members in need from there so I did that for a few minutes. I watched a few videos on there and liked some posts. I texted with my wife. I started doing some research on the internet on a new ministry I am praying about for our church. On one of the sites I was on I saw an advertisement asking if you were prepared for death. I responded to that question by thinking, "No, I got to much to do."
     Then it hit me. I was motivated. I was going to make a list of all my unfinished tasks and then I was going to finish them. I was going to change my life. I was on fire. I was pumped up. But then I

got hungry. Then I got busy. I had to laugh at myself because I wasn't even motivated enough to get a pen and paper our to make my list at this point. I had so many excuses in my head for the unfinished tasks that I was having a hard time picking which task went with which excuse. What happened? Where did the motivation go?
     The truth was I wasn't motivated, I was emotional. The word motivation has a root word in it, motive. Motive pertains to motion, movement and causes motion in its adjective form. In its noun form it is something that causes a person to act in a certain way or to do something. Emotional has the word "motion" in it but has a different meaning. The actual root word it emotion which is a moving but of feelings. It is a stirring of feelings or a change in feelings. By definition emotion is ever changing. I was happy but now I am scared and then I will be sad but later I will be joyful. Because it is ever changing it doesn't often result into a long term life changing movement. It may spur a quick action that changes your life but rarely does it result in a change of lifestyle.
     Most emotional experiences play out like mine did today. While my emotions were up I was ready to change and to do things. Once my emotions went away I was back to the way I was before. That is why God asks for our hearts and not our feelings. He knows our emotions change with the wind and so goes our commitment to emotional things. He knows the only way for us to be committed to Him is through our heart. Once something reaches our heart we are motivated. When we take our job to heart we are motivated to do it the best we can. Once we take a doctor's advice to heart we are motivated to follow it. Once we put God in our heart we are motivated to do His work. Yes, there is a lot of emotion that comes with that decision but that isn't what moves us to action. It is the love of God that moves us to action and that comes from the heart. So don't give God your emotions, give Him our heart.

Parting Thought: Do not believe in miracles...rely on them.