I met a dying man today. The clues to his demise were few. He seemed so happy and at peace despite the fact that just hours before, he had received and endured another round of chemotherapy.
It is not every day that you meet a dying man. But then again, that is not true. I look at a dying man every day in the mirror. I haven’t been diagnosed with a terminal illness, but my days are numbered nonetheless. Are there clues to my demise?
For the man I met, dying is a matter of perspective. Some receive death notices while others are met with death by surprise. The truth is, we are all dying. The difference is what we do with the daylight we have.
In the end, we all die. Some people live more in a day than some do in an entire lifetime. It’s not the number of days you live, but how you live them that count. My dying friend made the decision to seize every minute of every hour, every day. He considered his notice on life a gift. He sees every day as an opportunity to look a little longer, to hug a little more often and to express his love as often as he can.
Someday, it will be his last time to kiss his wife, play with his kids, drink a cup of coffee, eat a donut, go for a walk, go to church or watch a sunset. Eventually he will breathe his last breath. His heart will stop and his eyes will close. His time will have come.
The same is true for each of us. Somehow, we have it in our minds that we will live forever. We determine that time is on our side. The need to apologize can wait. The opportunities to express our appreciation will be many. Surely we will have enough time to get things right with God. Won’t we?
Time is ticking. Life is passing us by. I will never forget the day my fifth child was born. She was born on her oldest sister’s 10th birthday. As I sat there in the hospital room, loving life, I remember thinking, so this is what a decade looks like. My, how time flies.
Jesus only lived 33 years. If Jesus were 33 today, he would have been born in 1974. In 1974, Richard Nixon resigned as U.S. President, Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s home-run record, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman and “Happy Days” began its 11th year on ABC. A lot can happen in 33 years, but 33 years is not very long to live.
I have news for you. You may not have heard it from your doctor, but you are dying. I can’t give you the time or place, but your day is coming. Hebrews 9:27 makes it very clear that we are destined to die. Now you know. The question is what you will do with the time you have left?
Perhaps you think you have never met a dying man. Think again. Take a good look in the mirror. Your days are numbered. Getting all you can out if this life includes making provisions for life hereafter. Are you ready?
