Musings on Mortality
“Mankind, unable to escape death…in order to make themselves happy, have hit upon the plan of never thinking about these things… But it is a most miserable consolation, since it does not cure the evil, but merely conceals it a little while; and by concealing it, prevents men from attempting to obtain a thorough cure.” __Blaise Pascal, Pensées
It came to my attention recently that a dear friend of mine was struggling with their mortality.
I care deeply for this person and so the fact of their struggle stayed with me. I’ve thought a lot about it the last few days and thought it a struggle and question worth deeper musing that I ordinary give things.
So here goes…some musings on our mortality…
#1
My first word on the issue is a word of encouragement: Good for you! Struggle on!
Most of the stuff we stress over is not really worth it, but the question of our mortality is one of the few questions in life that really matter.
#2
Travel light. Assuming we are eternal spirits/souls it is obvious that we take nothing material with us when we go. But we do take a lot of things with us…baggage that binds us and weighs us down in this life and the life to come.
Let go of regrets. If there is nothing you can do about it then you must let it go and do something else.
Let go of the negative baggage – bitterness, anger, unforgiveness.
Picture your spirit as a hot air balloon. It can’t soar from this life into heaven above with all that baggage. Don’t wait for an apology, don’t wait to forgive, don’t wait to say, “I’m sorry.” Write off the debts, pay back the loans, and free yourself from any unnecessary baggage.
#3
Make sure those left behind are taken care of.
Get your house in order. Prepare your will. Get a post-you financial plan going. Act like you are not going to be here forever.
You’re not here play, you’re here to pay it forward.
Be an investor not a spender.
There will be people and worthy causes needing the dividends from your life and labor when you’re gone.
(By the way, put your church and other worthy non-profits in your will. That will speak volumes to your children about your values.)
And if you don’t have a church…get one! You’re dying! You need regular instructions and reminders about life and eternity and you need someone caring about your family when you’re gone.
And at your funeral…have your pastor preach your funeral not some awkward family member or friend who is uncomfortable speaking in public or some hired gun who doesn’t know you and doesn’t grieve for your family.
#4
Assume you are going to die in the next few days. This really clarifies things. If you’re planning on dying a few decades from now, you tend to push aside the important (like spending time with those you love the most) and instead focus on the urgent.
Flip the script! Its amazing how people change their priorities when the doctor tells them they only have a few weeks or months to live. How do you know that you don’t?
Starting now, spend time on the important first and if there’s time left deal with all that other stuff.
Patrick Morley in his book, The Man in the Mirror, writes about an evening he and his wife were trying to synchronize their calendars. He sums up the point I’m trying to make well…
“One evening as we reviewed our calendar and a stack of time-consuming opportunities, the thought came, ‘Why not prioritize everything we do on the basis of who’s going to be crying at our funeral?’ We did it. The results saved our family.”
#5
Leave no doubt about where you are when you die.
Don’t make your family worry. Don’t make some preacher have to dance around the heaven or hell issue. Bend your knee to Jesus Christ and confess Him as your Lord and Savior. Do it now! And spend the rest of your life following Him; He will get you to heaven and help you leave clear footprints that shows the way for those you love and leave behind so they can join you when it is their time to die.
The ONE THING for today: We’re gonna die, that’s a brute reality. Its what we do before we die that makes the difference…now and for eternity.
Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash
