It is the wise person who numbers his days, not for the sake of knowing the quantity of his life, but for the sake of inspiring in him a quality of life.
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
A prayer of Moses; Psalm 90:12 (ESV)
The last time I checked, the ratio of death to people is still 1:1. That means there is a “use by” date assigned to each of our lives. The challenge which comes with that use by date is that it is written in invisible ink. None of us knows what ours is. Knowing that we have have a use by date begs the question, how will I allow that knowledge to affect how I live and what I live for?
- Will it depress and discourage me and cause me to say what’s the use – as if it doesn’t matter that I will have lived?
- Will it cause me to throw caution to the wind and be careless about how I live and how I use my life resources? In a way, that’s what happened to New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle. Mantle had concluded at some point that he would most likely die at a young age like his father, who died at age 40 from Hodgkin’s Disease. Instead Mantle lived to be 64. At a point later in life Mantle confessed, “If I’d known that I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” His conclusion about an early “use by” date led him to be careless with the stewardship of his health and his life resources.
- Will it create a sobering impact on my life that inspires me to live and expend my resources as if it does matter that I have lived? If so, to what cause(s) will I commit my time, energy, knowledge, and financial resources in an attempt to make a difference?
Wrestling with these important questions about life and death is part of what it means to live life with the end in view – especially in two respects: First, in respect to what we’ve already established – acknowledgement of the simple reality that there is an end in life to view…that one day life on earth for us will be no more. But it’s not enough simply to acknowledge that reality. The presence of that reality leads to an important decision. Do we cloak that reality in a fixation on death that imprisons us, or do we cloak that reality in a healthy acceptance that frees us to live fully and meaningfully until our last breath?
Second, in respect to how we view the end to be. The conclusions we draw regarding how the end of life will be, helps determine how we live as we move toward that end. Consider Ken Stabler, legendary NFL quarterback who played pro football from 1968-1974, and who was known for his hard charging, raucous lifestyle. One time he described his philosophy of life as follows: “Getting nowhere fast…As philosophies go, it’s as good as any. What counts is not so much where you’re going – I mean we all end up in the same place – but what counts is getting there. Kind of simple minded maybe, but it’s fun.” Stabler’s view of the end was that “we all end up in the same place.” Strongly implied is that we all end up in heaven, no matter how we choose to live. That being the case, for Stabler it didn’t matter how we live getting there – just that we get there.1 His view of the end colored the life he lived while getting there.
By contrast, let’s consider the life of Jim Elliot, former American missionary who was killed in 1956 by the Huaorani people of Ecuador as he attempted to evangelize them. Elliot believed in the Eternal Creator God who has a purpose for creation as well as a purpose for each person He has created. He believed that life does not end at the grave, but continues into eternity. He believed that we don’t all end up at the same place. He believed that where a person lives in eternity – heaven or hell – depends upon whether an individual is a follower of Jesus Christ. And he believed that no one could become a follower of Christ unless that person first hears the good news of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Elliot’s view of the end led him to say such things as: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” 2 A different end in view…a much different life.
A use-by date attached to our lives. Let that motivate in us a view of the end that inspires a life that will matter 10,000 years from now. After all, our view of the end is not where it all ends.
1 “Getting’ nowhere fast with the laid-back Raiders QB Kenny Stabler,” Robert Jones, Sports Illustrated, July 10, 2015, SI Vault.
2 Goodreads.com
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