What if this really is the last hour of your life?
None of us are guaranteed to live another decade, not even the millennial’s reading this. All we know is that we have this present moment.
So what are you doing to see the world changed for the better?
I know this isn’t a new message. In fact I’m sure you’ve been asked this question before. If not word for word at least something similar.
When I see questions like this, I tend to roll my eyes and think about how over-dramatic the writer is being. Look at that, I’m a hypocrite, because now I’m writing my own version of the “What would you do with your last hour of life”.
I don’t expect everyone I want to read this, but if you are, thank you. Thank you for being teachable.
Death teaches us to live humbly
Recently, a friend of mine passed away. It was sudden and completely unexpected and I’m still grieving. When I ponder this person’s life and the huge impact even our few short times together had on me, it challenges me and makes me wonder what kind of an impact I have on others.
We weren’t close, but the impact was significant.
Can people who have passed through my life say the same thing about me? Probably not and when I investigate deeper, I know it’s because I take life for granted.
I get angry at a co-worker, or decide to sleep in on a Sunday morning instead of going to church. Even though I know I shouldn’t snap at my colleague and I should go to church instead of sleeping in, I always tell myself, “Tomorrow I’ll be better.”
But I’m not guaranteed tomorrow.
The realisation, if you really let it hit you will make you question your motives for even your lazy days.
The truth is, to be a world changer, you’ve got to be faithful, even when you don’t feel like it.
Hard work teaches us to live fully
Have you ever seen the movie “Yes Man”?
The entire film is about a guy who becomes incapable of saying “No” to anything. This forces him to try things he never wanted to try and in turn gives him a richer life because of the experiences.
It’s a good concept and one we should try in our own lives.
I’m not saying you should say yes to everything, but you should stop saying no to the things you’ve committed to and start doing those things with the idea that it may be the last time you get to do it.
Instead of snapping at my work mate, I should consider how they’re feeling and respond in love. Instead of sleeping in on a Sunday morning, I should go to church and make real connections with the people there. In fact, I should go the extra mile and offer to help set up the chairs for the service.
Yes, it can be hard work sometimes, especially after a long stressful week, but think of Hercules and, “Go the distance.” This mythical figure could have thrown a lot of excuses into the mix and stopped working hard for his hero status, but he didn’t. He went the distance.
Of course, this is all very easy to say and I’ve no doubt you’ve read articles like this before.
In fact if you’ve read all the way through this, you get a gold star in my books.
And truth be told, you give me hope for the human race, that there are people who still want to be world changers. Who are teachable and take the time to give one hundred percent to everything they do, even if it’s reading something I’m sure they’ve heard a thousand times before.
This is my encouragement to you. Keep pressing in to God, keep living one hundred percent and when you have those days where the pressure of being a world changer is getting you down. I hope you remember this silly article and know you’re not alone.
Let’s be world changers together.
Charis Joy Jackson is working as a full-time missionary with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) a non-profit organization in Queensland. During the day she makes movies and in her spare time is writing a novel. www.charisjoyjackson.com
Charis Joy Jackson’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/charis-jackson.html