In a few days I will turn 53. According to the charts, as a 53-year-old U.S. white male, I have 26 years to go. So the question for me is, is the glass two-thirds empty or one-third full?
I don’t fear death. My attitude toward death wavers between, “When it happens, it happens,†and “Bring it on.†Still, 26 years is not as much time left as I used to have. I’ve already burned up twice that, and I feel like I’m still just getting started. There are a handful of things I would like to do, if time permitted. If I ever have the extra time, here are 5 things I would do:
1. Write a book and have it published.
Actually, I have written a book. I wrote it 27 years ago. It is an allegory about the shallowness of the American church. It is far more relevant today than it was when I wrote it in 1979, as a young disillusioned minister four years out of Bible college. I have never submitted it to a publisher. I need to do that one of these days. I have another book written in my head, if I ever find the time to put it down on paper, that I think some readers would enjoy immensely.
2. Read 100 more books.
There are so many great books I have never read. I would be embarrassed to admit the many classics I have never read. I could easily assembly a list of 100 great books I would love to read, if I ever had the time.
3. Live in Mexico.
I love Mexico. When you travel beyond the crowded, dusty border towns to the interior of Mexico, you find some gorgeous places — beautiful mountains, lush valleys, historic cities, quaint villages. The culture is slower and the people are friendly. I have visited Mexico a few times, but I would love to actually live there. To be a resident, get involved in a church, get to know my neighbors, became part of the culture. Maybe one of these years I will persuade my wife that Mexico would be a good place to spend at least a year or two.
4. Master the Spanish language.
I listen to tapes. When I can, I work the lessons. But I would like to actually become fluent. To speak Spanish so well that Latinos don’t laugh when I ask to pass the salt.
5. Become an expert on end-times prophecy.
Bible prophecy has never interested me all that much, until lately. I cannot explain the change. Sometimes I wonder if God has prompted me to take a greater interest in prophecy to prepare me for the immediate years ahead. Perhaps He has stirred a similar interest in thousands of other preachers and teachers. Lately I have been preaching chapter by chapter through Revelation. I have never attempted it before. One big surprise is that I do not find the Revelation all that unfathomable. Actually, so far, it seems rather straightforward. I have studied Daniel and Revelation. Next I would like to focus on Zechariah and Ezekiel.
I had a few other things on the list. Become more knowledgeable of poetry. And classical music. Learn to play the guitar. But those five are at the top of the list.
However, there is a major flaw in my underlying assumption. Who says I only have 26 years left? The reason I do not fear death is because I have the gift of eternal life. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and is the Son of God. I believe Jesus gives eternal life to those who have faith in Him. I believe Jesus will return to Earth and actually rule this world, at least for a millennium, as the great Messiah-King. Before He returns, He will raise from the dead all who have pledged their loyalty to Him, to be citizens of His great Millennial Kingdom. It is a tragedy that so many people I know will miss out on that grand thousand-year period of peace and prosperity here on Planet Earth. But I’m not planning on missing out.
So it isn’t true that I only have 26 years left. If I never get to live in Mexico in this life, I’ll just spend a few decades there in the next life. If that is when I go, I hope I can still persuade my wife to go with me. That adventure wouldn’t be the same without her.
Part of the beauty of being a Christian is that time really isn’t running out. What part of “eternal life†do I not understand? Yes, there are a few things I would like to do, if time permits, before I die. But if I don’t get around to them now, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll have plenty of time after I die to do the things I’ve missed.
However, there is yet another flaw in my train of thought. How many of the things that I wish I could do now will have any appeal in the age to come? Will any of those great books I have never read still seem so great in the Millennial Reign? Or will they be hopelessly out-of-date. Will the books I might write in this life have any possible value in the next? Of course, the study of end-times prophecy will be a lot easier, because the prophecies will all be history by then. For that very reason, though, I doubt there will be much interest in prophecy study in the next life.
The truth is, most of the things I never get to do in this life will seem irrelevant in the next life. Considering the fact that the next life represents more than 99.9% of my total existence, I guess if those things will be irrelevant then, they must be less important now than they sometimes seem.
How important is it that I squeeze any of those five things into my remaining 26 years? Not very. It doesn’t matter. After all, my best days by far will be 50, 100, 500 years from now. Bring it on.
