I was twelve years old when death became a common occurrence in my life. Three of my grandparents passed away that year. My dads mother passed away, my mom’s real father passed away, and her step dad all died within the same year. My mom’s real father was a stranger to me. The most I could tell you about him is his name and the fact that I have never heard any good words spoken about him.
I never got to meet my dads father because he passed away before I was even born. The only grandfather I ever knew was my mothers step dad. Most people called him Chief, but I called him Pawpaw. He was my grandfather, and came in a close second in my favorites list of men in my life. Of course my dad was number one.
He talked about fishing more than he actually fished. Every Sunday after church he would stand beside the preacher at the door and shake every guys hand and hug every woman. However, he wasn’t always the church going guy. He had his fair share of sinner days before he accepted Jesus into his life.
It has been eighteen years since he has passed away but I still tear up every time I think about him. He will be one of the first people I hug when I get to heaven, after Jesus of course. I feel like I cried for two weeks straight when he passed away. In fact I feel like I cried so much that I didn’t have any tears left to cry for any other loss I experienced that year (several more family members passed away that year aside from my grandparents).
I still remember the day I graduated from elementary school and my grandmother handing me a card that my grandfather had signed. She told me he picked out the card a couple weeks before he passed. It was a hard year of loss for me, but it taught me how precious life really is.
Last year was another year for loss. While on the mission field I attended two funerals and was informed of another death (of a four year old) shortly after we left Malaysia. Upon returning home I got the news of a friend who had passed away the day before; he was only 34. Since then I had to stand by as a friend laid her own sibling to rest, attended another funeral, and received a call the week before last as someone else passed away.
I know death is inevitable. I also know that there isn’t one of us who knows when we will be called home. That is my point in all of this, to not take this life for granted, but rather realize how precious it is and allow the Lord to guide you through it. Realize how precious your life is and the life of those around you.
Many people tell me that they live vicariously through me. People say “I would love to do what you do,” or “I wish I would have done that when I was younger.” I see this world as a place of inexhaustible treasures. Whether it be landscapes or people, there is so much beauty in this life and I want to experience what I can.
When I quit my job in 2014 to pursue missions I wasn’t sure how my life would play out, but I knew the Lord would take care of me because that is what He called me to do. Not quitting my job would have been the easy path for me. I wouldn’t of had to give up my independence. I wouldn’t of had to question what I would do without an income. I wouldn’t of had to go through everything I went through last year. I wouldn’t of had to experience all the heartbreak I had to, but I also wouldn’t of got to experience the Lord like I did.
My life would have went on being uninterruptible. Instead I learned how to live life even more abundantly. I learned to be interruptible and how to be intentional with people around me. I learned that giving is living. I learned how to truly love people and let the Lord use me.
If I were to die today, I know that the people in my life would know that I loved them. I know that they would know I LIVED my life. I have experienced more life in my thirty years of existence than most people have in a lifetime. I got to watch a life come into this world as well as watching a life leave this world. I have a collection of strangers who have become valuable friends. I have people in my life that make me feel loved everyday. I have got to see more of this planet than most people ever will. I’ve jumped out of planes, climbed volcanos, been swimming with sharks. I’ve even preached on four different continents (never seen that one coming). About the only major life event that I haven’t experienced yet is marriage and kids, but that one is with Gods timing.
Your life is a gift. However, it usually takes life changing moments before we reevaluate the important things in our life. It’s great to have goals and things to work towards, and it’s equally important to remember that each day is never promised. Live in the now by not taking life for granted. Make each and every day the best it can be.
Instead of treasuring your work, take time to treasure the people around you. Instead of dreaming about that vacation, take the time and actually go. Don’t wait for the “right time,” because there is no such thing. Do it now, while you have the chance.
Put your phone down and have a conversation with your loved ones. Take a day off work and spend time with your kids instead. Turn the television off and talk. Take the dream vacation you have always wanted to take. Tell that person how you really feel. Forgive whomever needs to be forgiven. Forgive yourself. Don’t take your time here for granted because you might not get tomorrow.
Time is your most valuable resource. It is also the most valuable resource that you can give to someone. You can make more money, but you can’t buy more time. You are irreplaceable and the price of your time is limitless. In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. Invest your time wisely instead of waiting till it is too late. Live your life, don’t take it for granted.
James 4:14
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
