Of My Last Days...

Well I am on my way to Kenya. Currently I am sitting outside my gate in Chicago and ready to leave American soil for London. The first leg of my trip was uneventful, that is to say we did not hit a flock of birds and land in Lake MI. These past few days have been pretty crazy as I’ve been putting the finishing touches on a video project, trying to pack everything I’ll need, want and desire for the next year. Realy it’s only by the Grace of God and the help of my parents that I got it all done.

On Sunday as I was at Church for the last time, and playing the bass for the last time and playing with the kids for the last time, I thought, “well this is kind of like dying.” That is that it’s like those movies where the doctor tells someone they will die in 24 hours. Our “hero” then goes out and has a series of adventures living their life for one last day. He will tell the boss what he really thinks and then quit his job to tulmotuous applause from his co-workers. He goes skydiving for the first time, tells his mom he loves her one last time (love you mom) and stays up all night playing cards so he can donate the winnings to charity in the morning. What I realized about this type of film is that I don’t think that’s quite how I’d live my last day. I would probably be scrambling to make sure everything was ready. Who was going to inherit whatever I have to pass along (it’s not much), how can I finish my current project, and who should I tell (I love you Mom)? Then in the last minutes I think I’d start looking back and evaluating what I’ve done with my life.

Eventually I thought of what the best response could be. I think I’d like to go out like Schindler in Schindler’s List, first evaluating what I was able to do with my life and then realizing what I should have done. True at the end of the film Oscar is fleeing and not dying, but as he bids farewell to the Jews whose lives he has spared he suddenly realizes how much more he could have done. The car he is leaving in is worth at least 5 people and the Nazi Pin on his coat is worth one more. The Jews who love him for what he’s done try to comfort him and say that he did more than he could imagine, but Oscar still says that he could have done even more. Where I’m going with this is that Schindler is a pretty obvious metaphor for our mandate as Christians. As I think about the impact that my life may have had in this world the only measurement that counts is weather or not I was able to show Christ to the world or even just a few individuals. Now think of your own life, if you knew you only had 1 day left to live would you spend it skydiving, scrambling to get your affairs in order, or would you run to your unsaved friends and spend all day trying to convince them of the love of Christ even in the midst of your situation? Now, I ask why wait? Of course, I know that this is something that many of you have heard before and at the same time I know that I am just as guilty as any of taking tomorrow for granted, but may I just encourage you not to do that. Live each day as if it’s your last.