Editor’s Note: The following post was originally published on The Walk To Remember in 2018. It has been reformatted to this website.

Allow me to introduce you to Brandon. This is his ballad. It isn’t a tall tale or one of fairies, but is indeed a story of truth. You may say “Ah yes! Brandon. I know him”. No you don’t. You may say “I know exactly who you are talking about”. I can assure you that you do not. As a matter of fact, out of the seven plus billion people in this world, only ten at the most would know who I am speaking of based on this story alone. To try to guess our protagonist would drain you of your time and energy.

This story takes place during the time of my life when I was staring down the enemy within. It was during the heyday of Featherstone, after we recorded our full length demo. The sad truth was that we were never a full band. When we had a bassist, we didn’t have a lead guitarist, and vice versa. For the most part, it was just Grif and myself, playing a modern-day heavy metal Simon and Garfunkel. This takes place during the latter part of our band… when we had a “lead guitarist” named Brandon. I put his title in quotations because he wasn’t much of a guitar player. Whereas Grif and I had been playing for several years, with hours of practice per week, Brandon had only been playing for two weeks. I am uncertain as to why we brought him on board. Maybe we were desperate? Maybe we felt bad for him? Or maybe we just couldn’t simply tell him “no”.

He was a young buck. While we were college/college graduate age, he was still in high school. He had come across the notion that in the near future, just around the next bend, fame and fortune was waiting. Soon we would be millionaires, living the rock star life! This is where he, in his youthful ignorance, made a wise decision. At least in his eyes. I am not sure what happened first, so for the sake of our story I will put the events in sensible order. Rock stars do not need a day job like the rest of the world. Therefore Brandon quit his part-time job. Rock stars do not need an education. Therefore Brandon dropped out of school. This upset his father who confronted him on his foolish behavior. However, rock stars don’t need to live at home or answer to parental authority. Therefore Brandon left home and moved in with a friend. Finally, rock stars do not need to be tied down to one girlfriend when they have women hanging from each arm. Therefore Brandon dumped his longtime girlfriend. All of this happened within a week’s time. On the other side of the tracks, however, Grif and I were talking. It had become difficult for us to move forward with our music and songwriting. Because the new kid was still trying to figure out how to play. We were devoting our time to retrograding our talents just to meet his. While our young friend was flushing his life away for us, we were planning on flushing him.

Grif’s father is a lawyer who practiced out of an old house. Upstairs was a spare bedroom. This is where we held our practice. I will never forget as we sat behind a large table in the downstairs conference room. We sat on one side, and Brandon on the other. Awkwardness divided the air between us. I am uncertain as to how it unfolded. After he left we felt like someone had died by our hands. We couldn’t even bring ourselves to practice. We feared, mostly, that he would take his own life out of desperation. Thankfully he did not.

As believers we too cannot be certain for tomorrow. There are two great passages in the New Testament that speak well of our assurance that we will have another day. The first is Luke 12:16-20, and the second is James 4:13-14, which reads “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”(NKJV). One story is a parable about someone who stores up their riches. The other involves making plans. However they both share one thing in common: If and when tomorrow comes. We don’t have that assurance. Certainly we can assume that we will have tomorrow. Rain may steal away the fishing trip. You can assume that you will return to work again tomorrow as you do every day, unless a pink slip tells you otherwise. You may look forward to seeing your family tonight. But that drunk driver had other plans for you. Again, we can assume that we will have tomorrow. But we don’t have that assurance. Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is promised.

Child of this world. What about you? Have you heard of the redemption and salvation of Jesus Christ (John 3:16)? Have you heard that He has died in your stead, taking the wrath of God upon Himself (Romans 5:9)? Do you understand that all that you have to do is accept this fact, to repent of your sins, to turn your life towards Him and His holiness (Romans 10:9-10; Romans 12:1-2)? You may say yes. However, now is not the time, is it? You want to have a last taste of the world’s poison before you settle down and come to the fountain. One more good time. One last dance. But then tomorrow isn’t good either, is it? Maybe you’ll have another. And then another. And then another. Until you are taken by surprise that you have run out of tomorrows. Maybe you won’t get that lucky. Maybe this “tomorrow” contains your last breath. Why are you grasping at dirt when riches await you? This is the day. Accept Him as your Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Child of God. What about you? Have you been stirred to do more for the Kingdom than you are? Has the Gospel been hanging on the tip of your tongue, begging to be released? What if that person whom you have been meaning to introduce to Christ has no tomorrow on their calendar (Hebrews 3:12-13)? What if that prayer doesn’t have a tomorrow to rest on? What if that brother who you crossed never gets to be forgiven before his final sunset (Matthew 5:23-14; Ephesians 4:26)? What if there are no more tomorrows left? What if you look at your unmoving hands and see only regrets? This is the day which the Lord has made…(Psalm 118:24).

Brandon, by the grace of God, lived another day. He has lived many “another days” since we crushed his dreams within the crosshairs of his tomorrow. However, on the assumption that he knew what this tomorrow held, he threw everything meaningful away. Maybe he reconciled and rebuilt those bridges. Maybe the wounds healed. But the scars remain. May we too live our lives with the thought of today before us and the work that must be done. May we live with yesterday behind us. May tomorrow deal with itself when, and if, it arrives (Matthew 6:34). We shouldn’t withhold today for a tomorrow that may never be.

Before this post, I “Facebook stalked” Brandon. Surprisingly, he wasn’t hard to find. Much to my joy his tomorrow has done him well. He has found a far better life than he would have if he left his bridges burned and ran with us to that awaiting fame and fortune. He is now a devout Christian. With his unbridled passion that he unashamedly displays, I would say that he is a warrior for Christ. Maybe someday we will cross paths again and laugh at our “remember when…”