Today’s blog is very special because it is about reflecting deeply about our lives; are we doing what we are supposed to be doing? Are we doing what we would like to be doing? But these questions can be asked differently, in a very unique manner: How would you live your life if you knew exactly when you are going to die?
In the last few days I have been reflecting about those questions. But let me tell you how I got interested in the topic; two Sundays ago, I went to church and the sermon ended with a very thought provoking question: How would you live your life if you knew that you were dying in a couple weeks? That particular day, the readings had to do with readiness so we are not surprised when the Master (God) unexpectedly visits us.
I also must say that the sermon was short and right to the point. Since it got me thinking so much I decided to share the question in my personal Face book page. In other words I did a mini-survey where I asked the same question but I invited my friends to answer analyzing three different areas: 1) Physical/Health, 2) Mentally/Spiritually, 3) Finances/Readiness.
The small survey was quite interesting and very dynamic. I was very happy to see my friends participating in this particular project. Let us look at a summary of the answers:
- Physical/Health: The overwhelming majority focused on doing things like visiting places that they have been hoping to visit for a while. There was significant amount of people that wanted to spend time waiting for the sunrise and the sunset and take as much sun as possible. Some friends talked about holistic medicine and avoiding any maneuver that produces more pain and not particularly benefit them in terms of extending life.
- Mentally/Spiritually: Forgiveness was very important for most of the surveyors. They made a point to make peace and solve any conflict with loved ones. They also expressed the desire to strengthen their relationship with God.
- Finances/Readiness: Everyone wanted to have their finances in order and avoid leaving a mess behind for their children and loved ones. They even mentioned having their funeral all set up.
This is just a short summary of what was expressed at length in the survey.
After reviewing all the answers, I realized that the opinions expressed by my friends were actually very good overall advice about how to live your life. They made a lot of sense. In fact, I would say that if you could live your life following those plans you would be all set regardless of when you are going to die. In other words, if you are at peace and forgave your beloved ones, you would feel spiritually happy. Furthermore, I don’t believe I had to emphasize anymore about how important it is to have good financial planning.
So, I truly believe that all of us should take some time to just analyze and answer that particular question and make the appropriate adjustments in our lives. At the end of the day, none of us on this earth knows exactly for how long we will be here. But, there is one intriguing question that comes out of all this:
What kind of world we would live in if we, humans, knew exactly when we would die.
Well my friends, this is one question that I would love to ask the Lord when my time comes.