As the Shamans of Ancient Mexico
put it, Death stalks us; meaning its
potential as an event of imminence in our lives is ever-present. It’s not being
morbid to think in these ways. It’s only morbid if we find ourselves irresistibly
attracted to the concept of our death, or more so, to the concept of ending our
life. But this article is not about death. It’s about life. And life’s about
making the most of every day that the Lord gives us as a precious gift.
Here are ten things we ought to seriously
do this day, today, before we die:
1.
Tell someone you love just that: “I love you.” It shouldn’t seem so hard to do,
but for many of us it is. Even if our “I love you” is awkward, or even
embarrassing, it’s something we won’t ever regret on the other side of precipice.
2.
Do something kind so God can prove to you, afresh, the blessing
it is to be a blessing. Kindness is its own reward. It does something uniquely
beautiful in us. Kindness is a proof that God does exist by his Presence in our
experience.
3.
Find a sunrise or sunset. Watch and marvel at the wondrous creation as
it operates like clockwork. From time immemorial until now, yes, the instant
these words are read, the cusp of the present, God’s universe runs interminably
without need of divine intervention.
4.
Say sorry to someone. Anyone. What a blessing it is, from God, when
we find something to be genuinely sorry about. Apologising requires humility,
and humility is always a blessing. Saying sorry is a very practical love in the
truth of relational transaction.
5.
Look at life. Just look at it. Take a few pensive seconds to observe. Allow
life in all its variegated splendour and madness to captivate your consciousness.
Be mindful. Can you just accept what you see?
6.
Consider what you’ve achieved. Where has your life made impact thus far? What
would you choose to achieve if there were no barrier? Remove the barriers. Make
it come to pass.
7.
Thank God for your parents, grandparents and their
parents. No matter how good
or bad life’s been, no matter how good or bad your upbringing was, or your familial
relationships, there would be no ‘you’ without them. Give God your thanks for
his gift of them to you.
8.
Decide to do something new — something you’ve not done before or in such a
long time. Opening your mind is opening your heart is opening your life. These
days are new moments, and new moments are pregnant with possibility. Delimit
your imagination.
9.
Commit to eradicating one bad habit. You know how much you daily regret that bad
habit that controls your life right now. Make a plan to live without it. Set a
date when you’ll embark on a new path. Write up a strategy. And endeavour to
know what drives the habit so you can ensure the habit you use to replace the
bad habit reinforces what’s healthy.
10.
Ask God to make himself real in your experience. Whether we believe in God or not, and whether
we even think the divine is important or not, is irrelevant. If God exists we
will all soon meet him. ‘If’ is a range of probability from impossible to certain,
but remember impossible is only one location
at one extremity along the whole continuum. That means ‘impossible’ is a
very rare or very small probability — never good odds. What if you meet God but
never planned or prepared for such a meeting. It’s an infinitely better wisdom
to seek to know God now. He knows you.
© 2015 Steve Wickham.
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