June 16

From Is to Was

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”  ––Exodus 3:14

When Chrissy and I are watching a show, I have this quirk where I look up actors to see if they’re alive or dead, married or single, etc. (I’m a curious guy; I like to know things.) Most celebrities have a Wikipedia page, so it’s pretty easy to access the information on my phone. (It’s only annoying for my bride if I pause the show.)

Especially when we are watching an older show or movie, my curiosity is more about whether the person is still alive. We were re-watching Field of Dreams recently and I wanted to look up Ray Liotta, who I really like as an actor. If you will recall, he played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the film. I was shocked to see that he’d passed away—died in his sleep at 67.

The reveal is when you navigate to a person’s information page and you see “John Doe is …” or “John Doe was… .” Dead. Or alive. The verb “to be” has many tenses: am, is, are, was, were, being, and been. Of course, verb tenses matter most when it comes to a family member or friend. When we get the news of a loved one’s death, even when it’s expected, it’s still a shock. We grieve their transition from “is” to “was.”

The best conjugation of the verb “to be”? “I AM.” Confirming His divinity, Jesus said,

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” ––John 8:58

We serve the great I AM. There’s no past tense—He simply is and always will be. His existence can’t be conjugated. In fact, the name I AM is so sacred that it is not spoken in Judaism.

The encouraging thing is that no matter what verb tenses face us in life, our destiny rests in the hands of the wonderful I AM. We all have to face that moment where we will go from “is” to “was.” However, we do not need to be afraid, because our position in heaven is secure in the great I AM.

Father, thank You that I don’t have to worry about becoming a “Was” in Your Kingdom. I’m grateful for eternal life, and thankful that You sent Your Son to secure my destiny. That IS a beautiful thing!