Live Like You Were Dying
People say one should live as if life would end soon. Tonight, as I watched the night sky, I thought of my list of "Things I Want To Do If I Ever Am Diagnosed With Something Terminal." One of those things is going to Alaska and watching the Northern Lights.
"Why don't I just drop everything and go see the Northern Lights now?" I asked myself.
Self replied, "Well, you do have a job to do this weekend, and school on Monday. You can't ignore those responsibilities."
"Yes, but what if I found out that I will probably die in 3 weeks? What then? What if I suddenly die without any warning? Wouldn't my trip to Alaska be justified?"
"Well, yeah," said Self. "Well, no! I mean...if you're going to die soon, you'll be with Jesus soon. So what's the point of seeing the Northern Lights? Sure, I've never experienced them but they are definitely not as amazing as Jesus' face. Why focus on carnal pleasure when you're so close to spiritual wholeness?"
"Then why do so many people focus on fulfilling 'dreams' when they get to the end of life? Hmm...shouldn't life be continually fulfilling a big dream? I.e. purpose? And if God's given me a purpose in this life, then if I were to learn that I'd die before Christmas, I shouldn't want to do anything differently than what God has me doing now."
"Weird. But it makes sense, too. Because how will one glorify God and enjoy him if one were to just satisfy carnal desires for the entirety of one's life? Such a life would be empty."
"..."
"Exactly. I think you need to rewrite your 'Things I Want To Do If I Ever Am Diagnosed With Something Terminal' list."
"In order to live as if I were dying, I'd need to live as if I were fulfilling God's purpose for me, which would be my dream. I, uh...certainly don't think along these lines when I wake up on the average morning."
"Looks like we have an attitude adjustment to make! Hurry, let's sleep so the morning comes sooner!"
[Yes, I know the title of this post is from a country song. For the record, that song is, musically speaking, horrible. But the line was good.]
4 comments:
Very well said! I suppose the only question to ask is, are you now doing all you believe God has for you to do?
Not for me, thanks. If I lived like I was dying, I'd wake up to the horror that I was still alive, $40,000 in debt, was wanted in seven different states for Disorderly Conduct Charges and/or High Speed Chases, and weighting in at 400 lbs after an ice cream binge session.
Of course, this always assumes that I somehow live through the skydiving sans parachute.
You go ahead and live like you're dying, I'll live like I don't know how long I'm gonna be stuck here.
Good thoughts. Fuzzy's response above cracked me up. :) I guess in "living like we were dying" we need to be a little careful.
This thought could also translate into "redeeming the time". We need to live intentionally with the view of God's purpose in our every day.
Thanks for sharing with us!
Kaysie
(I am a new reader here - good stuff. Would love for you to check out my blog!)
Sorry, my blog URL is
www.alabasterboxblog.com
Thanks :)
Post a Comment