We live in uncertain times. More and more it seems the best-laid plans somehow go awry. Months ago, knowing that Danny's mom would be celebrating her 80th birthday in late September, I marked out our week's vacation to coincide with that date.

Unfortunately, we have been plagued with car troubles for months on end. In fact, I've been walking back and forth to work since Labor Day weekend as whatever ails the beast remains elusive.

The walking has proven to be a blessing in disguise. Danny walks with me in the early morning darkness, the sky just beginning to show shades of pale light when we complete the seven short blocks. What a pleasant, reflective way to start the work day. As of now, the car is working. That could change the next time I insert the ignition key, however, so when I don't have an appointment off-site, I plan to walk as long as the weather holds.

In any event, our plans to spend the better part of the week in Littleton with Mom were altogether thwarted, resulting in another stay-at-home vacation, dinking around the house, seizing the opportunity to do chores easily postponed during a regular work year. We also took to walking each morning in the early hours, our walking sticks in hand. (I've also heard them called "dog fenders" and "canine control units.")

I accepted long ago that though I may plan and scheme, my days seldom turn out as I imagine they will. My life certainly hasn't turned out as I imagined it when I was 12. Or 21. Or 51 for that matter.

We live in uncertain times. Life is uncertain. Ray Boltz has a song, "Never Lost" from his "From the Potter's Field" cd that gives me pause every time I hear it, particularly the verse:

"We used to rise and face the morning

Like it was just another day

But now we know that without warning

How quickly everything can change

It's like we're standing in a doorway

And what lies beyond we cannot see

As we step into the next moment

Or into eternity"

Life is uncertain. Six years ago on Sept. 11, thousands of people stepped into eternity, "without warning." Two years ago, hundreds of thousands were swept into eternity. Every day, people crash into eternity. They fall into eternity. Some jump. God has placed eternity in the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11) yet man continues to live as though this life will never end. Storing grain in high towers, we live as though we'll never be called to give an account of this life.

It is certain that we will.

It is important to be flexible in the day-to-day issues. If your vacation plans are foiled, find a way to enjoy the time off anyway. Why waste seven days regretting what cannot be when those same seven days can produce memories even more precious than the memories you planned to accumulate?

On the other hand, there are some issues in life where flexibility can be fatal. Know these things to be certain. Because we live, we also will one day die. Because we are created in the image of God, we will one day face him to give an accounting of the life we lived. Because of his mercy, he has provided a way to come to him free from shame, free from the sins, large and small, that we have accumulated on this journey. Sally Field says in a commercial for a drug to combat osteoporosis, "I have this one life. I'm doing all I can to get it right."

You have this one life. And all of eternity after it. Do all you can to "get it right."

"Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know you are the Holy One of God.'" John 6:68 (NIV)

Things you won't see in heaven: Funerals