Something fortunate has happened: I have brain cancer and you're here reading about it. (The 'something fortunate' was fortunate for you, not for me.)
Why is it fortunate for you that I have brain cancer? Because you can learn from my experience. God is teaching me to live like I'm dying, to live with the end in mind. That's easier to do when you have a terminal disease and you can see the end in sight, but it doesn't require that. Don't wait for it to be you, to start living like your death is inevitable, because your death is inevitable. Use my situation as a thought experiment and imagine what it might be like if it was you. The truth is we don’t know how much time we have left, and God could call our number at any moment. We all know somewhere in the back of our minds that we can die suddenly, but we tend not to dwell on it because it's uncomfortable. But it's a gift that we're given to realize that death is waiting right around the corner. It gives us a chance to really live.
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| "Every man dies, not every man really lives" - William Wallace |
Contemplating my own shortened life span has helped me to see that I should live like my death is coming quickly, because according to some doctors, it is! You're not in the same boat (hopefully), but it doesn't mean that you can't learn from my situation and live like you're dying.
What does it look like to live like you’re dying? It means enjoying the good things that God has blessed us with. For me it has meant telling my family how much I love and appreciate them. It has meant I try to spend less time telling them I’m too busy and more time giving my attention when requested, because even if this is all the time I get I wouldn’t trade my family and my lot in life for anyone else’s. Many of you feel the same way about your own families, but have you told them that?
The sooner we recognize that our time here is limited, the sooner we can start living the way God wants us to. The sooner you realize that this life is but a vapor in comparison to what's coming next, the sooner you can begin to live with the next life in mind. The next life will be infinitely longer than this one, so worry less about storing up earthly treasures and store up treasures in heaven.
“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” - 1 Timothy 6:18-19
I encourage you to spend a few uncomfortable moments thinking about how you would live if you were told you only had a short time to live. What can you do to invest in heavenly treasures? What are the things that you wish you would've said to your family and loved ones? Say them now. What are the things that you wish you would've done? Do them now. And make sure to enjoy the good things from God along the way.
