“I close my eyes, only for a moment… and the moment’s gone.
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity…”

One of my favorite songs ever - Dust in the Wind, by Kansas.  A haunting expression of the fleeting nature of life and the lack of meaning and permanence of all that is of the earth.  But, as Kerry Livgren (later of Kerry Livgren & A.D. - an 80s era Christian rock band) was trying to implicitly express with this song, there is much that we can do that is of permanent value.  Following Jesus’ commands is how we love him, how we build treasures in heaven, and how we can help others do the same.  We can allow our lives to be “dust in the wind”, or we can change the world forever, and lead others to eternal life by showing real care for them here and now.

It should be an easy choice if we truly understand that everything that we do and build that is not part of God’s eternal plan is dust in the wind.  But even for me, as I’ve experienced the joy of starting… not completing by any means… but just barely starting to follow Jesus in this way… even having seen and felt the joy in this… I get tired and discouraged.  I’m tired and discouraged today.  No real reason, no excuses.  Just keeping it real.  You see, for me, it has always been obvious that our earthly pursuits are nothing more than dust in the wind.  It’s just been hard for me throughout my life to have hope that I can do anything that is not going to blow away in a moment.  That’s where obedience comes in.  Sometimes that’s all we have to keep us doing what we have been commanded to do.  It should be enough.