Principle 8: Life is short
(Don’t waste it)
One life verse that caught hold of me as a 22-year-old in university was this: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14b) This verse is quoted as part of my email signature for many years. For the benefit of those who are unaware what a “life verse” is, it is simply a bible verse that has a special significance personally, that spoke to you at a special circumstance and a special time of your life, that profoundly change the way you think and the way you live your life. It acts as a daily reminder, and an underlying philosophy that guides you in all your decisions. You don’t try to make it “fits” you; rather, you make yourself “fit” to what it teaches and espouses!
At the young age of 22, I had anticipated a whole life time of opportunities and I could almost feel like time is limitless. Certainly, the finishing line was farthest from my mind as I dreamt about the journey of opportunities. The danger in thinking that way is the tendency to put things off, thinking there will always be a tomorrow. In a blink of an eye, I am now approaching 49 in three months, just one year from the Big Five-O, half a century! Maybe it’s something to do with aging and approaching the finishing line. Say what you like about thinking young, having a positive attitude and calling us as “matured and wise”, the body does show signs of deceleration and you know it. You are confronted with your mortality and it dawns on you that you are not going to live here on earth forever!
The Bible speaks about our life being 3 scores and 10 years, i.e. 70 years (Psalms 90:10). It is really not a very long runway compared with eternity. Those of us who had dabble with the term “infinity” in mathematics, with the symbol ∞, we recognize it is an immeasurable unit. A simple layman’s definition is this: “If you remove a part from infinity or add a part to infinity, still what remains is infinity.” Therefore the sense of urgency is very dependent on one’s worldview of eternity. If there’s no eternity, that life starts and ends on earth randomly, then what we do really doesn’t matter. We are just a fluke of nature. But if what we do matter for eternity, that changes the equation!
We are sojourners and pilgrims on this earth (1 Peter 2:11, NKJV) and Apostle Paul said it with absolute certainty in his desire that it is far better for him to be with Christ in eternity, but for our sake, to remain on earth with “fruitful labor” (Philippians 1:22-24). What drives some to forsake the pleasure of temporal earthly living to look forward to eternal rewards? This is what I call having an eternal perspective, or a balance and right perspective of life and eternity.
Often we are asked a hypothetical icebreaker question meant to provoke our minds: “If you have only one month to live, what would you do differently?” This may be hypothetical for us, but for those who had to literally live with that “death sentence” due to a terminal disease, it completely changed the way they live their lives. Two powerful books[1] come to mind and it would benefit your soul to read them.
With this perspective in mind, let me ask you the same question in a different way: “At whatever stage of your life journey right now, what would you do differently and how would this influence the way you will be living your life from now on until the finishing line?” It is not my intention to have you look back and then live with regrets. It is asking the hard question of changing course if there’s a need to. If we make regular and wise midcourse corrections, we can avert many life crises. Are we able to close our eyes and see in our mind what our final lap and the finishing line will be like? Some of us have a longer runway than others, but whatever it is, you can do something about it from here on.
What is your life verse that can help you to live life more deliberately and intentionally, not just for yourself, but for those you have influence over, especially your family members? King David prayed this way: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)
Have a great life!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment