"If you think about it, you're dying." -Adele H.
Well... I just happened upon this while scrolling through the writing community I'm a part of... and honestly? It's so true and I adore it. Ok, yeah, I'm the girl who walks up to you, randomly, and says "You're gonna die". So... it's not that far off. But I don't just love this for the humor...
It's true, you're dying. As we speak, you are, every single second, a second closer to your last breath. Depressing? Maybe. But give me a moment to get to my point. So you are dying at this very moment... and maybe you have 90 years of life left in you, or 3 hours, or maybe Christ will come first, but you are dying. Cells in your body are dying every single moment (who else is honestly a bit shocked their body doesn't just... fall apart on the ground?).
Anyways! Back to the point. If you are dying at this moment, how do you want to live out the rest of your life? If you might leave this earth in the next hour... how do you want to spend that time? If your brother, the one you hate, the one you've never seen eye-to-eye with, is dying at this moment, don't you want to at least make this last moment count?
Now, before I completely lose you due to depression... *hugs*... Lemme give you some hope. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT) says this: "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day." So, yes, your body is dying, growing old, deteriorating... but Christ holds you up! But Christ refreshes your soul every. single. day.
Ok, you still with me? Back to the point: if I know, since I know, that I am essentially dying every day, and my body could very easily stop working properly at any moment, I want to live every moment until then for the fullest, and for Christ. Since I know that I may not get a chance in the future, I want to be kind. I want to love people. I want to tell them that they were right, and I was wrong, and I'm so sorry. I want to compliment my cashier's beautiful sea-blue hair. I want to thank the guy at Subway who put the meat on my sandwich.
I don't want to live a life of things I'll regret. I want to look back at my life, later, when I'm bedridden and can't go to the store or hang out with friends as easily, and know that I lived my life to the fullest and won't die laden down with regrets.
Here's the thing: I only have one chance at life. Unless the Lord chooses to raise me again, I have one life. With some people, I have one tiny chance. I will very easily never see the old lady with the silk scarf again. I will very easily never be able to say hello to the man sitting at the table in the middle of the city, passed by and unnoticed, ever again. If I don't pause, I could miss that flower forever. I am not getting any single moment back .So do I want to just pass those chances by? Do I want to waste the precious moments of my life that the Lord has provided me with?
Well, personally, no. No, I don't. I want to live every moment, interact with every person, like I will never get the chance to again.
You hear the phrase "live like every day is your last" and variations of it everywhere. But what do you think of when you hear that? Ice cream for breakfast and do the crazy, stupid, risky things you would never do if you had to live on and deal with it? Or... loving people with all that you are? Caring for them? Apologizing and leaving the world better than it was when you arrived?
I'm going to be honest: I kinda think of doing crazy things like traveling the world and doing stupid weird things. And honestly, those aren't bad. I just want to be sure that I leave the world a better place. Or at least let one person, one single person, feel the love of Christ.
And, of course, I want to laugh so hard I cry. I want to sit in a field of wildflowers and write. I want to hug my friends so tight we wonder if our ribs will ever be the same. I want to live changed. Because I am. I want to feel it all. I want to be human.
May the Lord shine his face upon your beautiful life. Until and beyond the day you die.
Peace be with you.
Love, Ana
So what are your goals for life? What do you want to do with it? How do you want to be remembered? And... How do you feel knowing that your time on earth is limited?