If You Knew You Only Had Another Day…

If you got the news this morning that you only had another day to live, or even two months, how would that change the way you spend today? 

I have a precious cousin who has recently been told by the medical staff who have been monitoring her cancer that she has two months left to live. The weekend following her diagnosis, she posted a video to Facebook.  With calm and peace, she spoke from her heart.  Here are some of the statements she shared ~

I have been told I have two months left to live.  We will continue to pray and ask God for more time, but I’m at peace with whatever God does.

I have no regrets.  I’m thankful I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was four-years old.

I’d love to see my granddaughter be born, but if I don’t see her here, I’ll see her on the other side.

I want to reflect Him and His love for us. He’s been such a great Father.

I want to finish well. God has given me peace and joy and thankfulness and I plan on living each day to the fullest of what I know I can live.

I’m not afraid.  I look forward to seeing Jesus.

If you want to reach out, feel free, but please know that I may not answer.  I’m going to live these days to the fullest.

How can someone even hold their self together with that kind of news?  We all are born with a love for life.  We desire to live and enjoy as much time as possible here on this earth with our family, our friends and the joys this life can bring.  But here sat my cousin, Christine, talking candidly about her death with some sadness, but also peace.  How does that happen?  Let me answer that with a story about Christine.

Years ago when she was five or six years old and I was around 16, I got to babysit her and her brother.  I remember being outside in their yard watching her swing on the swing set.  She pumped that swing up as high as it would take her, and as she swung into the summer sky, she sang loudly,

Do you know my Jesus?

Do you know my friend?

Have you heard He loves you

and that He will abide ’til the end?

Christine had accepted Jesus as her personal Savior when she was a young girl and she knew that He had paid the price for her sins.  She knew she was forgiven.  She knew that One Day she would be with Him forever in heaven based not on anything she had done, but on His finished work on the cross. She has lived with that assurance ever since her decision to accept Christ.  That’s the only way any of us can die with peace. Now with a cancer diagnosis and a couple months left to live, she’s still singing that song simply by the way she is living out her last days. She has peace.  She has joy.  She has trust.  She wants others to know her Jesus!

Today I woke up with the words she spoke on her video in my ears.  It has helped me say no to some things ~

The worry that was pressing its way into my heart ~ No. 

The pressure to help someone when I had already made plans with my family ~ No.

Whittling away moments on social media ~ No.

It helped me say Yes to other things ~

The opportunity to reach out and serve two women with the Gospel ~ Yes!

Time to text a message of encouragement ~ Yes!

The opportunity to pour into my grandsons ~ Yes!

Let me ask again – If you got the diagnosis that you only had another day – or even two months, to live, how would that change the way you spend today?

• What would you mark off your calendar that you had originally planned to do?
• To whom would you make sure you had a loving conversation?
• Whom would you seek out to have a Gospel conversation?
• What would you say “yes” to that you had shoved aside, thinking you just didn’t have time to do?
• With whom would you seek forgiveness?
• What would you eliminate so you could focus more on these 24 hours?
• What things/situations would be put into their proper perspective – time schedules and pressures, areas of criticism of others, material things?

James 4:14 reminds us ~

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Even though we may not have been given the diagnosis my cousin has received, any one of us living today could be living in our last hours.  Make sure of your eternity by truly knowing Christine’s Jesus as your own Savior, then live today as though it was your last day.

One day it will be.

P.S. Prayers for my cousin Christine and her family would be so appreciated!