Volume 28, No. 30
August 17, 2003

Breathless Anticipation

   Even without the genie, bottles have given some people their fondest wish.

   That was certainly the case after an impetuous act by  Daisy Singer Alexander, of the Singer sewing machine family.  In 1937, the eccentric heiress wrote her will while living in London, England.  She stuffed it in a bottle, which she threw into the Thames River.  The will read:  “To avoid any confusion, I leave my entire estate to the lucky person who finds this bottle, and to my attorney, Barry Cohen, share and share alike — Daisy Alexander, June 20, 1937.”

   Almost a dozen years later, on the other side of the Atlantic, unemployed Jack Wrum was walking along a San Francisco beach when he stumbled across the bottle.  Not only did he investigate its contents, he took the document seriously when he read what was inside.  Good thing.  Wrum inherited six million dollars, plus $80,000 a year from Daisy Singer Alexander’s stock.

   Contrast that with the story of automaker Henry Ford.  One of his closest friends was Thomas Edison, who invented — among other things — the phonograph and the electric light bulb.  As the gifted man lay dying, Ford captured the inventor’s last breath in a bottle.  It became one of his most prized possessions.

   It seems to me each of us will follow either the impulse of Henry Ford or Jack Wrum.  On the one hand, Ford was intrigued with the notion that his friend’s parting breath was significant for some reason.  He didn’t explain why, but perhaps it was because, in his mind, it represented the essence of Edison, complete with his awesome intellect, insatiable curiosity and his quirky, incredible creativity.

   Though it’s good to celebrate human talent and the benefits it brings, it’s a mistake to measure anyone’s life solely by his or her achievements.  God is more interested in our character than our accomplishments and, where there’s no spiritual availability, our ability is to no avail. What counts is not our know-how, but our know-Him.  

   As Edison lay dying, his last words were, “It’s beautiful over there.”  Many thought the great man had caught a glimpse of heaven itself.  More likely, he was referring to the scenic valley outside his bedroom window, a view he often proudly shared with visitors.  These days, too many of us focus on the same shortsighted vista, rarely looking past the urgent and earthly to the eternal.  Instead, says the apostle Paul, “set your sights on the realities of heaven where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honour and power.  Don’t think only about things here on earth.” (Colossians 3:1,2)

    In other words, we must keep this world in perspective, remembering the wondrous inheritance awaiting those who simply act on the Lord’s amazing offer.  Two thousand years ago, He released a Vessel with an extravagant will outlining the free,unconditional promise of forgiveness and everlasting life;  life spared from loss and suffering, unspoiled by sickness, death and degradation.

   To many, that seems too good to be true so they don’t take it seriously.  Cynics see only myth and manipulation.  Skeptics view the will as a well-intentioned placebo for the needy and naive.  And sin-soaked seekers often have trouble believing they could ever qualify for such a fabulous spiritual windfall.

   The truth is, we’re all needy.  So God opens the doors of heaven and takes the down-and-out up and in.  All we have to do is request the bequest and keep our eyes on the Prize while we wait to claim what’s promised.  As Peter says, “Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children.  It’s kept in heaven for you... beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation because you’re trusting in him.” (1 Pet. 1:3,4)

   Henry Ford’s bottle is no match for what we await with breathless anticipation.

By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the Followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To subscribe, contact sgamble@bfree.on.ca