Articles
If I Died Tomorrow
* * * * * * * * * * *
"But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Lk. 12:20-21)
* * * * * * * * * * *
The rich fool in this parable was foolish, not because he was rich, but because he lost sight of his life's ultimate purpose. He lived each day as though there would be another, and another, and another, ad infinitum. His life plan worked great . . . until the day came when suddenly there were no more. He came to the end utterly unprepared.
If I am wise, I will learn a lesson from this man's story. What if I were to die tomorrow? Would I be prepared for my departure?
If I died tomorrow, would I leave behind a long list of unfinished business? Would there be important tasks I should have done, but kept putting off for another day when I would "have more time"? Would there be a string of broken relationships I should have mended? Phone calls I should have made? Cards I should have written? Crucial conversations I should have initiated? Words of encouragement I should have spoken?
If I died tomorrow, would I make that transition carrying the burden of unresolved sin? Am I prepared to face God with all the lusts, the envies, the grudges, and the hatreds that today I allow to lurk in my heart? How many broken relationships will I have to explain to God, ruptures that I had a role in creating and made no effort to resolve?
If I died tomorrow, would I have any regrets about how I used my time here? Would I exit this world wishing I had spent less time on Facebook or in front of a TV, and more quality time with my family and friends? Would I regret not reading the Bible more deeply? Would I cry out, "If only . . . " regarding a thousand little decisions I would have done differently, had I known what I know now?
If I died tomorrow, what legacy would I leave behind? Would people remember me as a beacon of joy and service, or as a selfish, disgruntled complainer? Will people genuinely mourn my passing, or be relieved to see me go?
Some day--perhaps sooner than I realize--my "tomorrow" will come. Am I ready for it?
While I have "today," I must remember the rich fool, and live accordingly.
--David
