Dying Regrets

Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who worked for years with people who are dying, took notes about her patients. She put her findings in a book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

These are the regrets that were stated repeatedly by her Australian patients:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

She said that nearly every man stated the 2^nd one. Men, you might want to read it again.

Can you imagine your own funeral? It’s a good exercise. Any idea about your epitaph?

It’s good to imagine your regrets and take action now, while you can, to remove them.

Know regrets (now) = no regrets (later).

Enough

Think Along 177

Enough.

That’s an interesting word, pregnant with lots of ideas.

How do you define and/or measure it? What is enough? How much is enough?

That’s really hard to figure out, isn’t it?

I ran into this recently in Proverbs (30:7-9)

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God."

The person of wisdom prays for enough. Are we bold enough to pray for that? It is a prayer of faith and trust.

My wife recently pointed me to this poem, written by Bob Perks:

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hello’s" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

If I read the Story of God correctly, then I think there is consistent call from God for us to believe that he is enough. That realization leads to peace, joy, salvation, and the ability to deal with whatever happens.

Can't take it with you

I once thought I was clever when I said, "You never see a hearse towing a trailer." Well, then the internet came along.

The point I used to make is still valid. When you die, you cannot take your stuff with you.

"For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." (1 Timothy 6:7)

Money is pretty tricky stuff, dangerous stuff, especially if you love it.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10)

Richard Foster, in the wonderful book, "Celebration of Discipline," says this about money and stuff.

1. Recognize that it is all a gift from God.
2. Hold it lightly not tightly.
3. If someone needs it more than me, then I’ll give it to them.

Jesus presents a lot of different thoughts about money. I like this one, found in Luke 16.

"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

He is saying to help people in need, and by doing so you are investing in them and in your future. You are showing that you trust God and understand what he’s done for you. It all makes a difference now and later.

Don’t be afraid. Go out and use your money to help people. You can’t take it with you.

What to do in a difficult spot

You know that old expression, "between a rock and a hard place"? A lot of people find themselves there from time to time. Maybe you live there. Maybe that’s what you think about when you go to work.

A long, long time ago, the people of God found themselves in a spot like that, but it was literally between a sea and an army. With their backs to the Red Sea, they looked out and saw a cloud of dust. It was the Egyptian army–horses and chariots–bearing down on them.

I can imagine the earth beneath them vibrating from the thundering herd of horsemen. They were terrified! They were critical of God but still cried out to him.

Moses, God’s man, speaks words that I believe I can use today.

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today . . . The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

The battle belongs to the Lord. When will I learn that? Maybe when I get still long enough to listen, learn, trust, and obey?

Liar Liar

A minister was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age.

The group had surrounded a dog. Concerned about their intentions, he went over and asked the boys, "What are you doing with that dog?"

One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. We've decided whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the preacher was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie."

There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the preacher was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

* * *

We have a lot more influence when we admit our faults, and that’s exactly what God wants us to do.

1 John 1:8-10 – If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

That’s the truth.

Day by Day

Probably the most helpful way to measure time is by the day. We receive a 24-hour day every day.

Ephesians 4 warns us the days are evil, adding that we should make the most of good opportunities. Are the days evil because of deception, the deception of the everyday?

Days arrive and all seem the same, lulling us into a false sense of security about time. Procrastination. The next thing you know you have regrets about what didn’t happen.

Psalm 90 lodges a bit of a complaint about days. Verse 10:

The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

In verse 12, the Psalmist prays, showing a better attitude.

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Jesus says we should live fully present in each day.

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The daily trouble is trumped by trust, trusting in God’s loving care and provision. See Matthew 6.

When you think about it, each day is a reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We die in sleep and experience resurrection when we wake up. That’s good to think about.

The new day of experiencing resurrection should find these words on our lips:

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Sunrise Sunset

I can get emotional when I think of the old Fiddler on the Roof song, "Sunrise, Sunset." It measures, by sunrise and sunset, the lives of two children who are getting married. The sun rises, and the sun sets. Time passes by and we don’t notice what is happening, right in front of us.

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

In the end, everyone sings,

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

To me, the swiftness of time’s passing is troubling at times. Where does the time go?

I need a reminder to measure my life by sunrise and sunset, living one day at a time, being fully present and aware.

I need to frame each day by praying prayers like these.

Psalm 5:3 — In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Psalm 4:8 — I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Sunrise. Pray. Sunset. Pray. One day at a time.

God in the Rear View Mirror

Recently I read a book about giving thanks as a way of life. Perhaps you’ve heard of it or read it, "One Thousand Gifts," by Ann Voskamp.

Toward the end of the book, she says something that really catches my attention and helps me think through some things.

God reveals Himself in rearview mirrors. And I’ve an inkling that there are times when we need to drive a long, long distance, before we can look back and see God’s back in the rearview mirror. Maybe sometimes about as far as heaven—that kind of distance.

Wow, now that’s a helpful image for me! Sometimes it seems God, in the midst of our struggles, is absent.

Inaudible. Invisible.

Walking by faith allows of us to trust that he is present, and those eyes of faith often allow us to see, well after the fact, that indeed God was right there with us, even though we did not see nor hear him at the time.

This helps us in our present struggles. Right? Some day we will look back and see God was there. When I look back over my life, I can see this being a truth proven by one experience after another. Can you see it in your life?

Perhaps there are some things that you are still waiting to see evidence of God’s presence. Keep driving. Don’t give up.

Keep driving!

Check your mirror from time to time, and keep driving.

Monday Prayer

How about a prayer on Monday, a prayer that is so real and helpful, especially if we are wrestling with our sins and failures?

It’s from the Psalms (51) and the headline introducing it says, "A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba." Wow, what a failure, yet David knows God will forgive him. Do we believe the same?

See if these excerpts are helpful to you. They sure are to me.

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

Amen.

Don't Miss the Point

One Sunday a fiery preacher had a great illustration to preach against the vices he saw in others. He was bold, confident and knew he could wow the crowd with some wiggly worms.

He took four worms and dramatically placed them into four separate jars, as the captivated church watched every move.

The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol. The second worm was placed into a jar of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a jar of chocolate syrup. Finally, the preacher, after pausing for effect, gently placed the fourth worm into a container of good clean soil. Then he preached.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the minister went back to the jars, opened them, and then announced, in his best preacher voice, the following results:

The first worm in alcohol: Dead!
The second worm in cigarette smoke: Dead!
The third worm in chocolate syrup: Dead!
But the fourth worm, in the good clean soil, was Alive!

The proud minister asked the congregation, "brothers and sisters, what did you learn from this demonstration?"

Old Maxine, sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand. The preacher pointed at her, asking again, "What do we learn from this?"

Maxine said, "Well, it looks like as long as you drink, smoke, and eat chocolate, you won’t have worms!"

That pretty much ended the service.

There’s probably a lesson there about making and missing points. You can take it from here.

Found by God

Someone needs to hear these words today. I know they do. Let’s read them carefully.

For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work for others, read the Scriptures—and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to despair.

Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not "How am I to find God?" but "How am I to let myself be found by him?" The question is not "How am I to know God?" but "How am I to let myself be known by God?"

And, finally, the question is not "How am I to love God?" but "How am I to let myself be loved by God?" God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home.

That’s from Henri Nouwen in "The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming."

Who needs to hear those words?

I do.

The Voices in Your Head

Do you hear voices in your head?

Of course you do!

And whose voice is it? Yours!

We all talk to ourselves, mostly about ourselves. Not only do we hear things, we "see" things also. We can see "video clips" of our experiences.

What do you say and see? Is it mostly negative or positive? When you think back over your life, do you see/hear "clips" of your failures or successes?

I think a lot of people see and hear a lot of negative things. There are lots of reasons, and we won’t explore them in this brief space.

Henri Nouwen’s "Life of the Beloved" is an excellent book that helps us understand who we are and warns us about self-rejection (often disguised as humility).

"Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the ‘Beloved.’ Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence."

The Good News, life-changing news, is that God, when we embrace Jesus, calls us his beloved.

Beloved daughter.

Beloved son.

Beloved. By God.

Stop waiting

Stop waiting.

If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.

There is a lot of wisdom in those words, wisdom worth thinking about and acting upon.

What do you need to do? What do you need to get going?

Let’s go!

Trust God

Hello Monday!

How about some short, simple, and powerful words to get this week going?

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.

[Proverbs 3:5-9 The Message]

Pray for those guys?

There was a little boy who wanted a $100 very badly. He believed in prayer and prayed for two weeks but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter, requesting $100.

When the postal authorities received the letter to God U.S.A., for some reason, they decided to send it to the President.

The President was so impressed, touched, and amused that he instructed his secretary to send the boy $50, thinking $100 excessive.

The little boy was delighted with the $50! He immediately sat down and wrote a thank you note to God.

"Dear God, thank you very much for sending me the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you had to send it through Washington, D.C., and, as usual, those devil's took half of it."

* * *

A lot of us complain about government, and rightfully so at times. I need to be reminded of these words, however.

1 Timothy 2:1,2 — I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Roman 13:1,2 — Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted . . .

1 Peter 2:13 — Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

Have a great weekend!

Where do you see God?

Think Along 163

Recently, I listened carefully as an old godly gentle man asked, "Where do you see God?"

He spoke in reverent tones about seeing God in nature, in places that few see because to get to them requires an effort (a long hike).

I agree. Some of my most wonderful moments with God have been in beautiful places of his creation. A few years ago a single shaft of sunlight, illuminating a thick mist, stopped my run on trail 7. I stopped in awe and praised.

It’s different, a lot different, but we can God in human beings. Isn’t that a major point Jesus makes in his story about feeding him when we feed the poor (Matt. 25)?

As I listened to the old man talk, this little Old English poem came to my mind.

I met a stranger yest'-er'en.
I put food in the eating place,
drink in the drinking place,
music in the listening place,
and in the name of the Triune,
He blessed myself and my house.
My cattle and my loved ones.

And the lark sang in His song:
Often, often, often goes
the Christ in the stranger's guise.
Often, often, often goes
the Christ in the stranger's guise.

I’m thinking it’s easier to see God in nature than in others, and I’m also thinking God wants us to see him in others more than anything else.

He knows if we do, then we’ll treat each other a whole lot better.

Trailblazer

I have this image in my mind. It’s of a thick, thick jungle. It’s damp, beautiful, green and so heavily canopied that only little shafts of sunlight hit the floor.

There are trees, bushes, and vines. Everywhere! It’s virtually impossible to move. Each breath is full of refreshing life, so clean and so pure. Yet I can’t move.

The only way forward is with a guide with a machete. Thankfully, the Guide is present. He carefully and lovingly blazes a trail. It’s slow going but we are moving.

As it grows dark, He continues, and He says, "I know you can’t see, but I can. Just place your hand between my shoulder blades and follow me."

That’s one of my favorite images of Jesus. It comes out of Hebrews 12.

The concept is that Jesus leads the way and prepares a path for us, even when we can’t see it. The idea is presented to those who are struggling and suffering. The life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus are held up as comfort, encouragement and a very real way to live.

Ultimately he blazes the trail out of the tomb! Hallelujah!

Which Way?

We can live one of two ways.

Here is a pretty good description of each way.

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.

But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

These words come from God and are found in Galatians 5:19-23 (The Message).

God’s way is all about loving Jesus and striving to let him live in and through you. It’s not easy, but he makes it possible and helps all along the way. It’s truly miraculous!

Time

Time by Pink Floyd

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I’d something more to say

* * *

Ephesians 5:15,16 — Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

It’s a little late, but Happy New Year!