72-Hour Investors
We’re all good at something. At times I have questions to what is “my thing”; perhaps you do too. But all of us have gifts and talents that make us stand above the crowd. You can be an exceptional lawyer, a stand-out stay at home mom, or a small-business magician. The point is that there are places we all excel.
It was a surprise and a compliment, I think, to hear that I am good at one particular thing. There’s one circumstance that apparently “I’m the guy” for. I had no idea but when my friend Ray was explaining how he name drops me in a conversation with others he starts out with “If I only had 72 hours left to live, I’d want Josh to hang out with me.”. So now I know that I’m the guy you want if you are close to the end!
At first, I thought it was a compliment because I’d try to cram in as much good content in 72 hours. I’d want those 72 hours to be quality. Listen, talk, pray and make them feel better about their life and where they are going. But then I thought if someone was in a lot of pain and had 72 hours to live that maybe I was the guy that would make the inevitable end come faster! Maybe I’m more Grim Reaper than Good Samaritan! I did see his intent though and I thought it was so kind to be viewed as someone that would be there for someone in their time of need or to have a gentle landing at the end of life.
I was pondering this conversation while driving home from New Jersey, which is also an experience that is close to death. But I was having a lot of chuckles thinking about how I could advertise my newfound gift. “Is time running out? Give Josh a shout!”. Or “The end is near when Josh appears!”.
The boys and I were in the truck and while I entertained myself with my wit and comedy I couldn’t help but notice all of the traffic in the opposing lanes. We were on two lane roads that avoided the highway and cars were STACKED, bumper to bumper, for miles. I never saw so many hands and middle fingers as tempers flared and a general edginess encompassed that east-bound lane. I was headed the other way but I could relate to the frustration of being stuck in traffic.
Among my 72-Hours of Power with Josh business ideas I thought of those poor drivers stuck in traffic. It was a Thursday night and they were all heading to the beach for 3 days, 72 hours, of relaxation and restoration. The beach was there to bring solitude, joy, happiness, and the good life. All they had to do was endure the pain of waiting with other irate drivers! But once there they would have their 3-day weekend to get recharged, gain some clarity, and prepare for the rest of whatever life has in store.
So there I was, heading in one direction thinking about the possibility of helping others while another direction presented the promise of health and relaxation for people that craved it. Both situations were 72-hour investments; my hypothetical 3-days with a dying friend situation and the 3-day long beach weekend in New Jersey. We’ve all been on both sides of that road; called into action to help others or craving a long weekend of “me time” to be topped off and filled up. We all do both and need both. But how do we decide which way to go with our 72-hour investment?
Not long after surviving New Jersey traffic I found myself walking down the hallway of a medical lab. I followed a nurse who asked me if I was ready. In my mind I was but the whole experience was getting more real. What I was about to do was willingly take a radioactive pill that would kill any remaining cancer cells that were left behind after a surgery I had several months ago. It would be the end to this chapter and hopefully a new chapter would begin, just cancer free this time. So while the end goal was very appealing I had to willingly take a pill that would cause me to be isolated for 3 days. Apparently, the pill is so toxic that I had to go away from everyone for 3 solid days and then restrict myself as best I could for 2 more days. Only after this time could I reappear and start the new thing and new life that awaits me.
I walked into the room and took a seat. The nurse walked back into a room and reappeared with a stainless-steel egg-looking contraption with giant orange stickers reading “biohazard” and “radioactive”. Any other time it would be a good idea to walk, or run, away from something that looked so…toxic. Its stickers screamed “death” but yet here I was, fully expected to pop the top, crack open the lid to a glass jar, and swallow the radioactive pill with a big gulp of water.
Once I heard the instructions I did just that. I didn’t feel different but when the nurse waved a wand over my body with her Geiger counter and said, “Yep, you are radioactive.” I was whisked away to the back door, told to isolate for 3 days and have the best of luck. That was the sendoff!
Seventy-two hours is the theme here. What would you do to serve and help a friend in their last 72 hours? How would you be restored and find relaxation on a 3-day weekend? I don’t think it was an accident that I found the answer in the middle of my 3-day isolation after taking a toxic pill!
Jesus knew the importance of serving others. He also knew the importance of solitude and the restoration process. He was also a 72-hour investor. He willingly took the cross, the bad thing, the sign of a certain horrible death, and died on it for our sins. His offering of forgiveness became apparent to all after 3 days…it wasn’t the end of the story but rather the beginning!
When you experience God’s grace it will transform your life. Your way of thinking. Your service to others will be vibrant and meaningful. Your days of solitude and recharging will soak-in to a new level. We want to invest our 72 hours well and whether it’s in service or in solitude I believe receiving the gift of Jesus’ 72-hour investment is a game changer.
We are called to do both; to serve and to experience rest. Putting the gift of Jesus’ 72-hour investment into our center of attention is the way to experience both!
