Richard Dawson, 27 January 2015

As I write this I'm watching the first one day-er between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka. It's a wonderful day, very much like the rest of summer this year and about 5000 people are watching with me. They too seem to be having fun and so we will continue having fun together... for a while. You see just like life, cricket has an end point even though some claim this isn't the case! In our case that end point will come if Sri Lanka overtake the Black Caps score, or if they're all out, or if by the end of their allotted 50 overs they don't make our score. And then,  for most of us, no matter how delightful the day, this final reckoning will colour all that has happened throughout the day. You see for most Kiwis here a loss will make the whole a lot less enjoyable whereas a win will make the whole day worth it. And, of course, the opposite is the case for those who are supporting the Sri Lanka team. The point, however, of this illustration is simply this: our life mirrors, to a lesser or greater degree, this same dynamic. The Bible makes it clear that there will be an accounting and this will colour everything about our lives as we live them here and now.  There is no escaping this for Christians. What we earned, what we owned, how well we were thought of or how big and powerful we became, will mean nothing at the end of our days. We will have to give an accounting for our life and nothing will be hidden.  It's worth thinking about at this time of year. Far from being like a box of chocolates, life is like cricket; the whole day will be coloured by the ending.