The godless man lies his way through life - he thinks himself smart and others silly - silly enough to believe in the virtues of goodness, fairness and moral living. And so he takes advantage, and he has his fill of life at the expense of others. But there comes an age, and the more foolish the man, the more later it comes - but it does come, surely and definitively - either at 50, or 60, or even 70. It comes as soon as the man starts thinking about the idea of his own passing, as he begins to ponder and consider the implications of the /truer designs/ of life. And when that moment arrives, the most bitter doubt settles in - like the cold and sudden onset of sweat, and the quiet voice of conscience he has disregarded grows into a booming roar inside his head. And so his demons are realized - they are as real as they have ever been. Because the fear of death and what comes after is realized. And as his demons are realized - so is the inevitable confession to the existence of God. "What was all this for?" he asks himself now. The question he has so brilliantly avoided his whole life, and now he finds himself alone with that question - and with a past full of misdeeds. The secret of life is such that all men are destined to arrive at this crossroads. The godless and the faithful are made equal only at this crossing of death and life - their sins naked to the world, their guilty conscience a gilded crown of shame. The relentlessness of time and the inevitability of death - these are the teachers that turn even the most stubborn men towards wisdom. When one approaches his fated end - the meaning of life is revealed to him in this manner and through these exact means. And when the end is near, every soul weighed down by its own conscience asks for the same one thing - they beg for one more chance. They beg for the opportunity to make things right. Know that both you and I have been that man before - many times over, and that is exactly why we're here where we are now. This is that second chance. Your life now, however unjust and difficult you've imagined it to be - is the literal embodiment of the gracious mercy of God. No more, no less. And I don't know about you, but I will not have wasted mine in vain. ![[Pasted image 20260331001155.png]]