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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

During the Interim


Would you like to know the exact date when you will die? What difference would it make in how you lived now...? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, page 1010).

Speeding Down an Overgrown Road
By Wayne Standifer

I have been in love with speed--
With the simple passing on of things,
With hands tight upon the steering wheel,
With mouth dry and brow slightly cold,
With the whiplash terror of passing things,
And the running out of room.


What if on the day you were born along with your birth certificate a post dated death certificate was also issued. Thus, you could now rummage around in the trunk where such things are kept and retrieve the date you will surely die. Of course, a good rule of thumb to live by is to assume that today will be the last day of your life. Because then, one focuses on meaning as it is most highly cherished. The goal then becomes how to connect and express the fundamental meaning that signals your essential being and purpose. Of course, this need not be an exquisitely uplifting thing. Some may choose to spend their last day high on drugs, wallowing in money, or getting even with their worst enemy. Others may wish that their last day be just like any other—humbly lived within the will God.

Occasionally I think about this question and always conclude it is best not to know my death day. As a procrastinator and devotee of the dubious notion that I always do my best under pressure, I probably would end up dealing with it like I have college term papers—putting it largely out of mind until a crush date. During the interim, I chronically feel queasy and guilty about my irresponsibility. In many ways due to God's mercy life is more like a pop quiz than a term paper. Daily vigilance is encouraged. To quote from Joshua “then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...” (Joshua 24:15 NIV).







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