I apologize in advance for the morbid tone opening this article, but I promise there’s a bright ending, your dreams realized.
This past month has been challenging; my brother-in law passed suddenly, the eight year old nephew of our pastor was killed when a car backed over him, the 17 year old daughter of good friends was killed in a car accident, and a handful of my patients are dancing at death’s doorstep. My thoughts naturally turned to my dad who died the day after his 65th birthday. He was not happy, having had his dreams quashed at an early age. He should have been a painter, but his parents forced him down a chemical engineering path; echoes of, “One word … Plastics … there’s a great future in plastics” from The Graduate.
My path has been interesting; I know that God has had His hand on me and I’m exactly where He wants me today. But the question comes to mind, “If you had three months to live, notwithstanding a supernatural healing, where would you want to be?” The question deliberately ignores the financial aspects, because how you earn a living, pay the bills, save for retirement are all moot in the face of having only 90 days left. My answer was immediate, Hawaii. Keep in mind I live in Wyoming and I love it. But if I had only three months left, I would rather be in Hawaii. I asked my wife the same question, and she had the same answer; so we’re happily? on the same page for this rather morbid question.
The follow up question is this; What if you do only have three months to live and don’t know it? There are plenty of regrets I hear from patients who are facing the end of their journey; most of them were in the woulda-coulda-shoulda categories of things not done and life decisions not made.
I’m far from saying drop everything you’re doing and go after your dream, move, climb the mountain, whatever is on your list. We are adults, adults have responsibilities. But you don’t have to keep your handcuffs on, those handcuffs that you allow to stay in place as an excuse.
I’ve just finished “Quitter” by Jon Acuff. He talks about how you change your life, live your dreams by responsibly working into them. The likelihood that you’re going to die in the next 90 days is remote, and the likelihood you have plenty of time is great. So you need to prayerfully, and with the full support of your spouse ask some serious questions, make sure you are aligned with God’s plan for you, and start taking adult steps to remove your handcuffs, and build a life that doesn’t end with regrets.
This is probably an appropriate point for me to recommend Dave Ramsey’s financial guidance, daveramsey.com, and restate that imperative that you commit your life to God, so you are not in this on your own. I have seen over my 53 years that my plans and life work out much better when they’re aligned with God, and not my own doing. Yours will too.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5 (NIV)
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18 (NIV)
