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New Beginnings
I heard this story when I was in my early teens, and it made such an impression on me that I have never forgotten it:
A group of friends had gathered, and the topic of conversation turned to the end of the world. A question came up : If you knew that the world would end in one hour, what would you do?
One of the friends said, "I would go home and tell my wife and children how much I love them."
Another said, "I would go and return everything I have borrowed and kept"
A third said, "I would go to my father and ask for his forgiveness and make peace with him."
The fourth friend was quiet. Intrigued, they asked him, "What would you do?"
I would continue to do what I am doing," he answered.
The casual simplicity of his answer has always fascinated me. Because it speaks of a life well lived-nothing pending, nothing left unsaid, nothing left undone. A life that had been lived in integrity, expressing the love it had to give and making amends quickly whenever needed. .. A life that knew it was where it needed to be. That is worth striving for, isn't it?
We don't like to think about it, but the fact is that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. It isn't promised anywhere. Yet we are always surprised when someone dies "unexpectedly." I was poignantly and painfully reminded of that not long ago when I received an e-mail telling me that my cousin had died of a massive heart attack. He had recently received his Master's in Economics. He'd married just the year before and purchased a home the month before. His future looked bright and promising... He was 42.
We are not guaranteed tomorrow, yet we somehow manage to believe that we are entitled to long lives. I think it is that belief that makes us leave things unsaid, undone, unfinished. We assume there's always tomorrow.
I can't help but ask myself, what would I do if I knew the world would end in one hour? Or even more to the point, what would I do if I knew I only had one hour left to live?
What would you do?
The answer to that question may just be our best New Year's resolution. Praise God for new beginnings and fresh starts.
Maria Lund
-Maria Lund