IF YOU HAD ONE DAY LEFT TO LIVE WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

On the last day of school, the children brought gifts for their teacher.

The florist’s son gave the teacher a bouquet of flowers.

The candy store owner gave the teacher a box of candies.

Then the liquor store owner’s son brought a big, heavy box.  The teacher lifted it up and noticed that it was leaking a little bit.

She touched a drop of the liquid with her finger and tasted it.

“is it wine?” she said.

“No.” the boy replied.

She tasted another drop and said “Champagne?”

 
“No.” said the little boy.

“I give up” she said. “What is it?”

The boy replied, “It’s a puppy!”

Right now things seem farther than fiction.

We used to see it in doomsday movies and Hollywood blockbusters, get a few sarcastic snickers and put them off as nothing.  But now the big productions are now caught in horrific detail on the news channels all over the world!  It’s as real as it can get.  The quakes in Japan, Myanmar, New Zealand and even back home.  Tsunamis, civil unrest and nuclear threat occupy daily conversations, blogs, updates and news items.  Suddenly the concept of 2012 doesn’t seem so absurd at all. 

So let me ask you this question:  What would you do if you had one day left to live?

The most popular answers would be:

1.)    Repent my sins.

2.)    Make my peace with my father.

3.)    Say “I love you” to the people who matter.

4.)    Spend more time with my kids.

5.)    Say sorry to the people I have wronged.

But the next question is, shouldn’t have we been doing that all along?

We have a thing for deadlines.  I always kid my clients that when deadlines become closer, production suddenly rise.  We always seem busier when reports are nearly due.  We’re expert procrastinators unfortunately with everything else in our lives.  We only find the gumption to do the right thing when it is time or most times overdue.  Almost in every case we believe that we can get away with anything only until after we are caught. 

But what if time does finally catch up with us?

     

If there is one single thing that you, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett and all the other millionaires and successful people have in common is TIME.  We all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week and 365 days in a year.  In that span of time do we ask ourselves what is our ultimate priority in life?  Money? Properties? Prestige and recognition?  Or is it family, community and spirituality?

John C. Maxwell said you can spend your life anyway you want, but you can only spend it once.  If I was to have one day left to live I would love to live it like any ordinary day, that I have said my I love you’s, my sorry’s and my penances long before that final day has come.

Make the most of it.

Have a meaningful Holy Week my friend.