Could the “one best word” be the happiest word? The one word that cheers up each person who has a good reason to use it? Is it the one word you’ve said recently that improved your whole day, maybe your entire outlook on life?
Of course, you make the pronouncement yourself. Perhaps you have thought of other people saying this one word in some situation, but here, just briefly, we are speaking of you. Read on with yourself in mind.
That one simple word that is so powerful, so broad, yet it can be applied so specifically, is “temporary.” Is that what you anticipated?
Anyhow, let’s take a look at its use, its possibilities, its good points. When a tiny zit pops up on a teenager’s face. When company arrives for just the weekend. When you stubbed your toe in the dark on the way to the bathroom. When there’s a shipper’s delay in getting that nifty new tool delivered via UPS.
Even, when the elevator at work is stuck between floors! When there’s a traffic jam on Interstate 19! When your little kid fell off the swings and broke his arm!
As you picture these situations you will probably agree that when that #1 happiest, best word, “temporary,” comes to mind it does help alleviate the stress, frustration, and unhappiness.
Instead of totally dwelling on the bad event you can have a measure of relief. Whatever that uncalled for, or stupid, or aggravating event was there’s an expected end to it. Things could go back to normal. Things might even be improved as a result of thinking about cause and effect and possible prevention and solution.
When huge unwelcome circumstances invade your household, your job, your commute or your vacation this one happy word, “temporary,” can spur you on to doing some serious thinking, planning, and rearranging. It can encourage you to action.
By now you have thought of some recent events in your own life that warrant the audible verbalization by you of this word, “temporary.“ You could be writing some short article yourself!
But, before we close this mental exercise there’s one very certain situation where the word “temporary” does not apply.
That is the truth that 100% of all people die. Here is the good pronouncement: your Maker, the Creator of all those magnificent universes out There, wants to receive you into Heaven when you die here on earth. Your response to His invitation is to first realize that you have lived a less than 100% perfect life, because in fact you’ve sinned according to His requirements. The Bible assures us of His love and His forgiveness when we own up to our deficiencies, those pesky attitudes and thoughts and words and actions that were not good.
God provided the way. Jesus declared He was the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by Him.
The immense, staggering, amazing truth is that Heaven is not a temporary dwelling for some limited period of time. You will want to check this fact out in the Bible, yourself. These few words here are obviously not adequate to convince you of something you haven’t thought about much, or something you’ve pushed away as being impossible.
The search is yours, but be encouraged, there are believers who are praying that you will experience a new depth of understanding in the wonderful truth of God’s love. This is the closing emphasis: the applicable word now is Eternal; that “one best word: temporary” does not apply here!
Give yourself a little time to contemplate how well your life has been going, these days. Then apply that logic and research and strategy that you’ve learned in your years of experience.
Pat yourself on the back for your success to date and then determine to look into the challenge of that earlier paragraph!
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By Elaine Hardt ©2013
