A Fool's Errand

I’ve always heard that we should not tempt fate.  I don’t know exactly what this means, but if I were to do something against my better judgment that could injure or kill me, this venture or activity might be considered a fool’s errand, and at the same time would be tempting fate.

The definition of fool’s errand is: “an English idiom referring to a foolish undertaking or a task certain to fail.”

I have no desire to climb mountains or rock climb, parachute out of an airplane or go paragliding, explore caverns, scuba dive in the ocean or go cliff diving, which is leaping off a cliff edge into a body of water.  These things are not for me.

If any of these activities are your forte and a way of challenging yourself and having fun, then more power to you.  Be safe!  As for me, I am not the venturous type to take unnecessary chances with things that might injure or take my life. 

Call me chicken or scaredy-cat if you want, but I try to use sound judgment when dealing with out of the box ideas that I may have with regards to potential dangers.  Although, when I was in my late forties, I took hang gliding lessons to obtain a hang-gliding pilot’s license.

I had eight training flights on the beach of Sand City, a few miles north of Monterey, California.  I was hooked!  I continued my training for the next few Saturdays in Hollister, California, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from my house.  I had twenty more training flights there, Twenty-eight in all.  That Saturday I was going to receive my pilot’s license, but something unexpected happened.

Flight number twenty in Hollister was a perfect flight until it wasn’t.  At the bottom of the hill when I flared my kite to land, I stuck my foot into a gopher hole.  What are the odds.  The hardest phone call was to my wife to tell her I thought I broke my ankle.  That was the end of my Saturday playdays.  I figured if I got hurt this bad on a good flight, what if I had a bad one.

I am more careful to weigh the cost in my mind and then decide if it is worth the risk to do something out of the norm.  I think it’s called, “analytic reasoning.”  People that know my personality have labeled me “analytical.”

I can think of many things that might tempt fate, but a fool’s errand stands out among them all.  It is when a person thinks they have time in their life to live it the way they want and then give their heart to the Lord on their deathbed.  This is foolish thinking in my opinion with so much at stake.

We have no assurance that we will see each other tomorrow, let alone the next minute.  So, it behooves us to live in the moment as if we won’t see the next moment.  Spiritual death is eternal damnation and separation from God. 

It is a terrible punishment for the unsaved to suffer, because they rejected God’s provision for eternal life in heaven—His Son, Jesus.  We, ourselves decide where we will spend eternity through the choices we make concerning God.

Total understanding of God is beyond my simplistic reasoning or knowledge, but I remember kicking thoughts of the afterlife out of my mind when I was living the fast life.  It was scary to think about, because I knew where my soul was headed if I were to die.

I’m sure non-Christians prefer not to think or talk about dying.  Just the mere thought of spending eternity in the wrong place is unpleasant to ponder, to say the least, and too close to reality if a person is heading down the wrong road.  It is hard for the mind to comprehend time with no ending, mainly being separated from God forever.

When I close my eyes for the last time on earth, my soul’s desire is to awaken in the presence of Almighty God and hear Him say, “Enter into the joy of the Lord, good and faithful servant.”

Eternity in heaven is worth living a Christian life in this world.  It is a fool’s errand to tempt fate by waiting until it’s too late, thus giving up heaven and trading it for hell, because of disobedience and living a haphazard, non-Christian life.

The moment Jesus comes back to receive His bride unto Himself, the Church, or if a sinner dies prior to His coming and hasn’t had their sins forgiven by God, it’s too late.  There are no reprieves or second chances.  Time is of the essence!  Don’t wait another minute if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior.

(Romans 3:23), “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

I cannot understand why anyone would be foolish enough to take a chance of missing heaven, because they want to live life unfettered by God’s interference.  They probably do not realize the depth of God’s forever love and how much He truly cares for them. 

God desires that we become His children through the ‘new birth’ of being ‘born again’.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  In Him we have eternal life.

(Mark 8:36-38), “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (vs 37) “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (vs 38) “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

If a person would only think about life and how short it really is, chances are they would consider getting their soul in harmony with Jesus.  Life is like vapor, here one minute and gone the next.  This reality is becoming more apparent to me the older I get.

Birthdays seemingly come much quicker than they once did, but such is life.  It seems like yesterday I graduated from high school, and now I am old with three married children and six grandchildren.  Where did the time go?

I am glad that when I was in my early twenties, I made the decision to follow Christ.  The night I bowed my knees and asked God to forgive my sins was the turning point to a peaceful life of new beginnings in Christ Jesus.  I don’t regret a mile I’ve traveled with the Lord.

My wonderful hope is that one day I will be with Jesus, in heaven, when this life is over.  I am happy that the words A FOOL’S ERRAND will not be spoken at my funeral or etched into my tombstone.  Let’s face it, today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow. 

A fool’s errand needs not be in anyone’s epitaph, because God gave His Son to die on a cross for your sins and mine.  We need only to ask God to forgive us.  He will do the rest.

(1 John 1:6-9), “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (vs 7) “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (vs 8) “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (vs 9) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd