Hi All,
I was listening to a song on the radio the other day, a song I like. It was the Tim McGraw song “Live like you were dying”. Anyone who knows me knows I love adventure, I love to Hike, Climb, play paintball, but I really love to be with my family. The words from the song talk about how a man found out he was dying, and Tim asks “man, what did you do”, and he replies, I went skydiving, Rocky mountain climbing, I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu, and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I been denying, and he said someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying. I love this song, it is catchy, but it does have a very deep meaning, and it is one that I dwell on more lately. There are other verses in the song, about being a better husband, a better son, etc. and so on. When I measure myself, I constantly find myself falling short, and I believe the writer of this song was trying to get us to realize that any day can be our last. Last week, I attended the funeral of a long lost friend. He was a year younger than I. His Poor body just gave out, and he left a lovely young daughter behind.
I am changing my ideas as I age, I think of different things than I used to as a child, and even as an adult, and now when I think about dying, I see people who are in my life, and the only exposure to Christianity and the Salvation, Hope, and Comfort that Christ provides could possibly be through me, what I say to them, how I act, am I kind and loving. I have a great comfort in knowing that my children and wife are saved and are going to heaven, But there are many out there who are not, because they do not know Christ. I have people that I work with that I truly love, and want them to join me in the reward that follows this life. I know that we only plant the seed, and that God gives the increase, I just ask that God will allow me to be the best sower of his seed that I may be before I am called home.
Being a Christ follower is also a global thing, not just for Americans, and I believe the world “Will know we are Christians by our love”, just like the song says. That means we as Christians should do all we can to spread love and kindness to every corner of the earth. Young people are Idealistic, and I once told my son in law that as you age, you lose your idealism. I had become calloused to the point that I thought we could only make a difference in our own neighborhood, but I no longer believe that, God bless the freshness of youth. We need to do all we can to feed the people in this planet and do what we can to meet their needs in the name of the Savior, this is the same Savior that fed 5000 people with a couple of fish and some scraps of bread, so don’t even tell me it isn’t possible to feed everyone. It took much deliberation and a son in law named Sam who I love dearly to break me out of my shell on that. (thanks Sam, please forgive!!!). Kindness is the way of my Savior.
So, If I found out I was dying,( which I am, I just don’t know when) I hope I would devote my last days to planting as many seeds and spreading as much kindness in the name of the Lord as my body would allow. He has blessed me beyond compare, and I just want others to know the Christ I have come to know. I pray God will bless me to be BOLD in spreading his word at work, at home, and everywhere I go, and “Live like I was dying”. God bless you all
JFT
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