You’ll hold on to nothing when you leave this life…

…but that doesn’t mean you don’t have anywhere else to go. On the contrary, your whole life here on earth is only the beginning. Eternity is a full on experience once you leave the confines of your body. It’s the point of no return. And if you’ve chosen to be with your Creator, you wouldn’t want to return anyway.

It’s December, and that means Christmas is just ahead. During this time of year some people seem to have a slightly clearer perspective on what’s important. Family, friends, health. The important things can’t be purchased. And you’ll have them with you wherever you are. “Things” aren’t like that.

Almost 31 years ago I was thinking about this very subject. And as I so often do, I wrote down my thoughts and composed a song about it. I started out the song with a double negative. I have my reason for it, but see if you can figure out why. I recorded the song on a very cheap cassette recorder, but I never really produced it. I think I might do just that pretty soon. I’ll share the words with you, and you can tell me if you think I should do an updated recording. Leave a comment, or send me an email. Now, here are the lyrics to…

There’s A Time

You can’t hold on to nothing when you leave.
It’s only you He will receive,
And only you that means a thing.
So learn to love just who you are,
And though you may not be a star
You still can hear the angels sing.

There’s a time for rejoicing
Between the sunrise and the sunset.
There’s a time for your heart to be free from pain.
There’s a time for believing
This is only the beginning.
There’s a time when your spirit may seem so plain.
That’s when you’ll know
That you’re welcome to go.

You can’t make it to the other side
Till you’ve got nothing more to hide
‘Cause you can’t hide it from His eyes.
So try to learn from your mistakes,
And try to do just what it takes
To live your life away from lies.

(repeat chorus)

Don’t turn your head…
Don’t turn your head and walk away.
Your time just might be today.

© 1983 Tony Funderburk

In Faith, Hope, and Love”