The Best Day Ever

The Best Day Ever.  [A Timely piece.] Ephesians 2.4-6

Today I was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway looking at the aqua blues of the ocean, which always puts a smile on my face and makes me think of the Creator. You know, some folks feel God in the mountains most keenly; yet others, in the desert. While I love the mountains, especially those covered with snow, I certainly see and feel God in the waves of the Pacific Ocean that crash faithfully upon the shore. Yes, I live in a surf town in Southern California, where the right beach attire is pretty important to my teen-aged sons. A pair of new trunks lying on my kitchen counter had a tag that caught my attention: ‘The Best Day Ever’. Several young people were pictured at the beach at sunset, with lazy waves in the background.

For some reason, I kept the tag, looked at it a number of times, and kept thinking about the caption—“Best Day Ever.” Then I ‘googled’ best day ever and discovered the Sponge Bob Square Pants song, and lamented that a cartoon should define the ‘best day ever’! I submit to you that the ‘best day ever’ is the day we see the Lord’s face—the day we draw our last breath on earth and our first in Heaven. It was exactly two years ago that my brother (in Christ) did just that, and came to know his best day ever. This last week sweet Saylor had her best day ever.

oseph Michael Quinn was born in New York City, and entered Heaven just two years ago. Because of how Joe had chosen to live, how he died was sweet, and he left a legacy that will never be taken away. Joe was a man filled with Christian faith for many years, so when physicians diagnosed him first with liver and then pancreatic cancer in late fall, it just became a transitional phase for him. Oh sure, because of his great love for his wife and two sons, he was sad, but resolute—his faith in the goodness of God never wavered. There were the usual treatment options, but mostly, Joe chose to trust God and spend great time with his family, doing the things he loved to do as long as he could. It has been said, ‘you will never know how much you believe something until it is a matter of life and death.’1 Apparently, Joe’s faith was stronger than folks might have guessed.

God answered many prayers on behalf of Joe, and his decline was gentle and merciful. He was able to communicate almost until the end, and then slipped a little further away almost hourly until his new day dawned in Heaven. While he clutched a hand-sized wooden cross, his sons read Scripture, his wife cuddled and reassured him. They prayed, cried some, and played his beloved Irish music as well; and they were right there when life flooded through his body one last time, and then was gone. Then, sons and mother prayed The Lord’s Prayer together and I received a text message that said, “Dad is home now.” Joy was not afar off.

The fact is, “Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.”2 Joe really lived… and though Joe’s body died, he lives on with his Lord. We were created for life; it is our sins that rob us of it. Consider with me Paul’s words about death, life, and sin: “But even though we were dead in our sins God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, gave us life together with Christ—it is, remember, by grace and not by achievement that you are saved—and has lifted us right out of the old life to take our place with him in Christ in the Heavens. Ephesians 2.4-6 (Philips) Amen.

You might have to read this twice, but it is worth it: “The people who keep asking if they can't lead a decent life without Christ, don't know what life is about; if they did they would know that 'a decent life' is mere machinery compared with the thing we men are really made for.”3

O God, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should,”4 as the psalmist prayed. Then we will not define our best day ever by Sponge Bob’s standards, but by those of eternity… joy will not be afar off. Because surely the ‘best day ever’ is the day we see the Lord’s face—the day we draw our last breath on earth and our first in Heaven.

In the end, Joe left behind a legacy of faith, as did a 17-year-old young girl, though she died much too soon. But those who love God touch others forever, and their legacy can never be taken away, nor forgotten.

Wanna know your best day ever? You can, you know.

Christine

PastorWoman.com

 1 – CS Lewis, God in the Dock

2 – Alan Sach

3 – CS Lewis, God in the Dock

4 – Psalm 90.12