When all is said and done
Existential crisis. We all face it at some point in our lives. Did I make an impact? What happens when I die? Did I matter at all? It’s a Wonderful Life is all about one man’s existential crisis. I’m also reminded of the line from movie Blade Runner.
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Time to die.
Roy Batty – Blade Runer
When we think all the way back to the stone age – one is confronted by so many lives that were lived and never remembered. No matter how much we accomplish, how rich, how powerful we become – no matter what amazing things we do, death and obscurity await us all in a long enough timeline. It is sometimes said that you only exist as long as one person remembers you. Or as long as something you did or created impacts another life. So what happens when that is finally gone? Do I really matter? Does any of it matter?
For me, it’s knowing those even when the world forgets – those moments and our lives are not lost. Even when the last person that knew me dies or the last impact of my work fades – all of it comes with me into eternity.
Because there is always someone that remembers. They were all shared with one who loved me and was with me my whole life. We spend eternity together remembering those moments and witnessing how my actions echo through time – in the glory of perfect joy. For Jesus was with me yesterday, today, and through all eternity – and he loves me more than I can even love myself.
That is where true hope lies.