Live Like You Were Dying
Yesterday my church started a series, I assume with along with a bunch of other churches, called “Live Like You Were Dying“. Yes, it’s based off the huge country song about riding a bull and skydiving and what-not. Yes, it’s going to take a little effort for my brain to get past that point, and focus on the actual point.
According to the introduction yesterday, the series will focus on these four points: Valuing the people in your life, Speaking more lovingly, Giving and receiving forgiveness, and Embracing eternity. All these things sound really good and I am excited about really looking into this, but I left church yesterday with a few questions all surrounding one theme.
Being an introduction to the series, the message was pretty simple and sort of an outline for the month. ”If you had thirty days to live, how would you spend those days?” How would you spend each hour? How would you treat your family? That kind of stuff. It’s definitely makes you think about what’s really important in life and where our priorities should be. All good stuff.
It’s sort of like that movie “The Bucket List”. I haven’t seen it yet, but the other day we almost rented it so we re-watched the preview. These two old guys are “living like they were dying”, by jumping out of planes, riding horses, traveling the world, and it totally inspires me to do that.
Both of these things trigger something in me to “follow my dreams”, “take risks”, “find my priorities”, “love my family with everything in me” and I love all that stuff. Here’s the problem, and I am hoping that this series at church addresses it. My problem with it is pretty basic. How do you afford to “live like you were dying”? Here’s the thing. I recognize that if I were to have thirty days to live, you can bet I wouldn’t spend it paying off debt. I wouldn’t spend it focussed on getting bands to blog, or paying my mortgage. No, I’d spend it like Tim McGraw, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. I’d spend it traveling with my family. I’d spend it sleeping as little as I could, and enjoying every second. I’d spend it making sure that every moment was packed with something amazing. And I’d spend it with complete disregard to credit card debt or retirement. Obviously this isn’t what this series is about, but I can’t help but come at it with that approach.
So where’s the balance? How do I “live like I am dying” while recognizing the importance of planning and responsibility? Is that possible? Like I said, this is a new series, so I would assume they address this question. It’s not like I am the only one that is going to ask that.
So what do you guys think?
**Oddly enough, I had no idea that Kristin blogged about this same subject, but with a different spin**
To live like I were dying, is how I think we should live everyday, dying or not. When I was widowed at age 35, part of my recovery was to adopt the mantra “Life is Good.” I didn’t recognize God at that point in my life, and yet I knew and did recognize, how quickly life can be taken from you.
Life is precious, and we should spend everyday with that awareness. To Live Like You Were Dying means to me, to live each day showing your loved ones, and the rest of the world, how you care about them. Forgive others, including and especially yourself.
It doesn’t have anything to do with jumping out of airplanes or hiking the Himalayas – For me, the only travel involved would be to get to where my loved ones are if possible, and to spend time with them.
Sounds like the church series is really focusing on “living” in the spirit, not living in the world. Reconciliation in relationships, making sure your life always reflects how much you love others (so they know), being kingdom-minded. All those ideas people tend to move up to a higher priority when they are faced with dying. Since we don’t know when the Lord will take us home, it’s a great idea to have these priorities all the time. I look forward to hearing what you and Kristin get out of this!
yeah, if I knew I was gonna die, I might go into debt and travel a lot real quickly…. but that wouldn’t really be fair to my wife unless she was dying too.
Great comments Diana and Annie…mybe it’s the difference between significance and insignificance. Can I do something of lasting influence perhaps in someones life. I ask myself all the time if what I am doing will last beyond my life in others. I have several friends who have gone to be with the Lord but the imprint they left still effects my life. They lived like they were dying.
great idea.
i put it on our series idea bin.
I would have to agree with most of what people are saying. The emphasis would not be spending every second with your family doing amazing expensive things. But embracing the time you have with you family even if it is just eating dinner or getting ready for bed. From a Christian mindset it would also mean focusing on Christ and making sure you life is truly modeling after him and everything that is involved with a life following after Christ.
thank you..Life is not about doing “amazing” things. Life is about relationships…with the Lord, with family and with friends. It is about being open to the love of others and letting others know they are important to you. It is not about, hiding behind some material crap. Once anyone has done some “amazing” thing
it is over and then you need to do one more”amazing” thing…
never being satisfied.
sometimes, “amazing”things are being patient with your children and really listening to them and letting them know how important they are. Amazing is the look on a friends or a family members face when you have made them feel truly loved and appreciated. Life, for me is about people, never things.
Love you! Mom
Allow me to clarify…. and maybe play a little devil’s advocate here. I don’t really want to jump out of planes. I would even be okay with spending the next “thirty days” not traveling anywhere. What if all the things I wanted to do were things that enhanced my relationships?
What I am saying is, imagine I wanted to spend every second with my wife and kids. Imagine I wanted to have friends that I could hang out with as much as humanly possible. Imagine I wanted to take my wife out to dinner every single night to show her how special she is to me. Imagine I wanted to allow my kids to see Disneyland. All sounds like amazing relationship memory stuff right? All sounds like things I would be leaving my family a huge debt for too.
I know this isn’t the point of the series and that’s why I’m talking about it here. I think this is a great series and can’t wait to dive into it more, but do you see where I’m coming from?
I think I see where you are coming from. I guess when I look back on my life the things I think that have had the largest impact are the things that have taken less out of my pocket and more out of me. My dad had many amazing experiences in his life and had many things. Unfortunatly he left very little of himself behind. Great question son, it’s made me dig deep.
Depends on what you mean by “balance” I suppose…
You can’t “live like you are dying,” and live responsibly. You have to sacrifice doing the things that you would normally do if you were dying (like spending all your time with your family, and ignoring your bills, work, feeding your animals, saving for you families future, and other responsibilities). But if you are going to truly take this seriously, then you can’t give up those responsibilities to live like you are dying. Try it…sit there and just think about what it would be like to sacrifice your responsibilities to “live like you were dying” in thirty days…I bet you can’t do it without feeling some kind of unsettled discomfort…Maybe that is what true sacrifice feels like, but in my experience with sacrifice, I have always felt the pain of giving up or losing something, but never felt an unsettling discomfort. I always felt “at peace.” Kind of like how I imagine Jesus felt as he gasped for his last breath.
Man, you should go listen to John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life” sermon…even if “Piper-ites” annoy you. I’m one, and I know we can be annoying. If you google it, you will find it easily. He will both stand in agreement and disagreement with many of the ideas written about here. Check it out, and let me know what you think, as I will be talking a bit about these things on my blog in the next few months.
LOL! Brody, I just love that you and Kristin both blogged about this unbenounced to one another. Cracks me up ’cause I know most would consider it a fluke thing, but I don’t. I believe God has somethin’in the works with it.
Can’t wait to hear more about what the Lord lays on both your hearts as this unfolds. Plus, I am excited about the small group part for you guys. I hope you really get the opportunity to embrace the whole process and just throw yourselves into it (and don’t throw anybody else). tee hee
Blessings to all you Harpers – Melody
P.S.
I’m praying for Blue and you guys as the wide world of Kindergarten begins (especially mommy Kristin’s heart).