Choosing To Live
James 4:14 “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Having been in ministry for almost 15 years I know this all too well. I’ve been reminded time and time again of just how fragile life is. I’ve been hanging out and doing life with friends only to be standing there days later conducting their funeral. Death seems to always catch us by surprise.
I was talking with my kids about the devastating cyclone that had hit India a couple weeks ago and the loss of life. While I wish I could promise my kids this kind of thing would never happen to them and God would always protect them I just couldn’t. Instead I took the opportunity to share a truth someone shared with me years ago…
“You don’t get to choose how you die but you do get to choose how you live.”
So let me interrupt your busy day that’s full of all kinds of busy routine activities and remind you.
Today is all you have!
Yesterday is gone. Can’t get it back. Nothing you can do about it.
Tomorrow as much as you think it’s going to happen is not guaranteed.
Today is the day!
Are you making the right choices? Are you choosing to live?
42 Comments:
Needed this reminder. Thanks!
Kim Harr’s last blog post..Daisy Scout Olympics
[Reply]
Kim Harr
6:54 am
I’ve always liked this quote:
“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”
-Alice Morse Earle
[Reply]
Aaron
6:56 am
great “compass realignment”, Pete! those same thoughts went through my head on monday night as my wife and i attended the memorial service for a dear friend taken too soon (35 y/o) in an auto accident last month; had been married barely 18 months.
[Reply]
John Ireland
7:01 am
OK Pete….God is totally hitting me upside the head with message today….you are the third blog I read today that has basically addressed the “living” component of my life.
I was really struggling with this yesterday and then blammo….you all came up today with some message and angle to address this with me.
Totally loving how God is speaking through the bloggers today to me.
I do know it is not about “me” just crazy how it works this way and when you feel all alone in the world, God somehow finds a way to connect us all.
Now I need to check my twitter for further guidance
joseph’s last blog post..your last meal
[Reply]
joseph
7:12 am
So true, Paul. Thanks for posting this. OUr life is but a vapor.
I found you through Grace Cartwright’s blogs.
God bless you borther.
Eric Paul
[Reply]
Eric Paul
7:13 am
\~~/
(0o)
Beware the deadly donkey
Falling slowly from the sky.
You can choose the way you live my friend
But not the way you die.
Sharkbait’s last blog post..Are you there? Am I here?
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Sharkbait
7:14 am
WOW…..I really love that. Might be stenciling that above one of my doorways.
Thanks for this…..it really hit the spot with me today.
Peace~
*~Michelle~*’s last blog post..Don’t be a Sore Loser
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*~Michelle~*
7:23 am
We have to make the most of every opportunity we have to live and a breathe another day! Every day I wake up, I am thankful for another day to live and to share Jesus through my life
Abraham Lincoln once said “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
And, here is another quote I really like, “Dance like no one is watching, love like you’ll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,and live like it’s heaven on earth.”- William Purkey
[Reply]
Falguni
7:36 am
Thanks Pete
[Reply]
Randy Wood
7:40 am
My grandmother’s Preist is going to be with a family who lost a 5-year old child in an accident this week. An associate from work lost his adult daughter to a murder/suicide last week.
These horrific, sudden deaths help motivate me to get off my butt to play catch with my son or make time for my wife.
I can’t believe no one has quoted Tim McGraw yet, LOL
[Reply]
Jody
7:53 am
Read somewhere, “We are all just a pair of overalls that the Holy Spirit wants to put on and empower us.” So many times I have to stop and remember that HE is the reason I am here. Asking the Holy Spirit what do you want to do through me today. Yet so many times I forget…so important to remember that tomorrow may never come.
Kara’s last blog post..Describe Him
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Kara
7:54 am
@Jody, you had to go there didn’t you?
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Pete Wilson
7:59 am
More than ever before I try to live in the present day with a grateful heart for all the blessings I have. Simple pleasures are some of the best pleasures in life and they slip right by us when we don’t stay in the moment!
[Reply]
Nana
8:04 am
Well Spoken!
[Reply]
Maureen
8:08 am
One thing that strikes me about this post is that you are acknowledging that you could die 5 min. from now, but you aren’t letting it paralyze you. You are making it energize you.
When I was 13, my older sister had a stroke (she lived but has been paralyzed since). She was fine when I left for school, but when I came in the door after school, no one was home. Then the phone rang and my mom told me what had happened. Instead of letting that sort of thing energize me to live a fuller and more joyful life, I’ve kind of let it paralyze me with worry about what will happen next and who or what might be taken away tomorrow.
There must be some prayer I should be praying that will help me to lose my anxiety and just enjoy the day in front of me. If you know of one, pass it on, man! And thanks for the reminder that I should be striving for more.
Jan’s last blog post..Firstborn
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Jan
8:11 am
It can be really discouraging at the end of every day to look back and say okay what did I do to today? Part of that is us not choosing life and part of it is underplaying the things we do.
[Reply]
Chris Sullivan
8:12 am
While I’m sitting here waiting for a tow truck… a good little reminder to go play with my little man. Work can wait.
[Reply]
Paula
8:19 am
#FistBump and thanks for the reminder Pete.
Today can be a great day, good day or bad day… The Choice Is Yours! Choose Wisely!
@ScottWilliams’s last blog post..Pastors, Players, Pimps… Stop Cheating!
[Reply]
@ScottWilliams
8:24 am
You know what is really funny about this post, Pete?
A lot of people will read it and think that there are ‘activities’ that must be accomplished and added to the list of things to do in order to ‘make the most of the day’.
We may confuse busyness with aliveness.
Christ said Abide in Me. My translation, Live in Me. There is an old testament verse that I would bring in to this mix. ‘Be still and know that I am God’.
Maybe life isn’t about activity but more about awareness.
Tony York’s last blog post..Jealous in a good way
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Tony York
8:27 am
Pete, great food for thought. Thanks!
I can tell you that after being in Iraq for a week, we as Americans have a blessed existence, even though there are many within our own who need help, too. We need to make the most of everyday for the betterment of others and the world in which we live.
Thanks for the inspiration!
[Reply]
Wes Little
8:30 am
#FistBump and thanks for the reminder Pete.
Today can be a great day, good day or bad day… The Choice Is Yours! Choose Wisely!
@ScottWilliams’s last blog post..Pastors, Players, Pimps… Stop Cheating!
[Reply]
@ScottWilliams
8:31 am
You know what is really funny about this post, Pete?
A lot of people will read it and think that there are ‘activities’ that must be accomplished and added to the list of things to do in order to ‘make the most of the day’.
We may confuse busyness with aliveness.
Christ said Abide in Me. My translation, Live in Me. There is an old testament verse that I would bring in to this mix. ‘Be still and know that I am God’.
Maybe life is less about activity and more about awareness.
[Reply]
Tony York
9:28 am
i sure am trying. and realizing that the biggest part of life is in the little things.
gitz’s last blog post..HDG: Attitude of Joy
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gitz
10:50 am
I like your post today. I make wrong choices all the time. Like entering a dance-off contest & posting it on youtube. I’m totally humiliated and just want to die. But my kids loved it and I had fun laughing and dancing with them. I chose to live!
Pokinatcha’s last blog post..Can’t Believe I Did This!
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Pokinatcha
12:41 pm
@pokinatcha
I was asked by a youth in my class to help him with his New Year’s Eve talent show entry.
I finally agreed to help him and found myself in front of hundreds of church family on New Year’s eve wearing a pink tutu, a wand, fairy wings, and throwing glitter while he played the part of Elton John singing Tiny Dancer.
The best part was when I went to the store (Claires) to buy the materials for my costume. The lady at the register was like,
“Awwwwww… is this for your little princess?”
I felt compelled to answer truthfully… you’d think one time I would learn to just shake my head in a non-committal way.. but no.. not me.. I answered honestly.. with real words.
“No, these are for me.”
Dancing was easy after that.
Tony York’s last blog post..Something just for fun – Chuck Norris
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Tony York
1:03 pm
(This is eerily applicable to my snarky tweet last night, Pete Wilson!)
I stumbled upon WithoutWax from some random internet source I can’t even remember. What’s kept me coming back day after day is the fact that way out here in Texas, through the miracle of technology, you really DO seem live each day to the fullest.
I’ve never met you face to face, and I’ve never been in the same room with you. But, reading your words day after day, and the words of those you surround yourself with, I have to admire your consistancy. You are consistantly positive, loving, excited, awed, humbled, and willing to learn from every situation. I may roll my eyes and leave snarky comments about your love for staff meetings and all things food, but truly, truly, Pete Wilson, you inspire me, and others, to be thankful and excited about each day and ALL that it can bring.
And THAT, my internet friend, is really what choosing to live for God is all about.
[Reply]
melish
1:04 pm
@tonyyork
Hilarious.
[Reply]
melish
1:13 pm
I’m a sap. Crying again at one of your posts…I’m consumed with living the legacy that I want to leave Pete and yet still this simple post took my breath… Love it~thank you.
Robin
Robin’s last blog post..My Blogiversary! 1 Year!!!!
[Reply]
Robin
1:22 pm
@Pokinatcha, Could we please get the link to that youtube video? Please?
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Pete Wilson
1:35 pm
Thank you Pastor Pete,
A sobering reminder for those of us who
walked this path, and a wake up call for
all others…….
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever & ever.
Psalm 145:2~
[Reply]
Robin's dad~
2:22 pm
Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emXwglRENnk
If my 17 year old isn’t mortified then I guess I shouldn’t be either! This was made for a dance off that MercyMe is hosting.
@Tony that is so hilarious! Did you have regrets the next morning? I sure did!
[Reply]
Pokinatcha
3:30 pm
@Pokinatcha,
Your YouTube video was awesome.. I would have danced with you guys.
And, no, I had no regrets the next morning. I am a big goof anyway.
Tony York’s last blog post..Something just for fun – Chuck Norris
[Reply]
Tony York
4:38 pm
I just used that same verse in a blog as well…I was sitting at the computer with TV in the background and they were talking about the plane crash from last week. They mentioned some of the people that were on the flight–a new mom who just came back from maternity leave; executives who won a trip to brazil and took their wives– and it hit me that life is a vapor. We are not guaranteed anything except the very moment we are in.
It’s hard to stay for me to stay in that frame of mind. To realize that we need to “get over” the little things that don’t matter in life and focus on what really matters. To be willing to risk regardless of the outcome.
Thanks for the reminder….
S.
Susie A.’s last blog post..My keychain….
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Susie A.
6:42 pm
That was powerful!!!!! Thankyou for that!!!!
[Reply]
Tony Street
7:40 pm
@Pokinatcha, Nice. I love the dance video.
[Reply]
Pete Wilson
8:23 pm
@Tony York – thanks for the giggle! Nice to hear of a man secure in his masculinity to wear glitter and wings. You rock.
@Pokinatcha – good for you! I’m sure your kids love it more that you did it than if you had protested that it was “embarrassing”.
Pete – thanks for the reminder. As the great philosopher Oogway said in Kung Fu Panda: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.”
Philippa’s last blog post..Cardboard testimonies
[Reply]
Philippa
11:09 pm
Once again, I find a connection between your post which I have only just read and the one I have literally finished writing minutes ago.
Check it out for yourself and see if you think we are on the same wavelength.
With love,
ransom33
ransom33’s last blog post..SPIRITUAL EMPTINESS: WHEN THE LIVING CAN’T SEE BEYOND THEIR DEATH
[Reply]
ransom33
5:24 am
One of the things that I tell graduates is that life is to be lived and enjoyed. That is what it is all about, if that means being silly, giving a hug, helping a stranger, or whatever it is, we are to live life and enjoy it. I agree that it is not about doing but so much more!
Thanks for the reminder!
Jim’s last blog post..Someone you should know…..
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Jim
7:27 am
GREAT challenge man. I hate to think I waste even a minute not doing all that can be done to leave an impact.
@b_rewster’s last blog post..This Is My Prayer…
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@b_rewster
12:25 am
Wow, that was a statement that I needed to hear and hope to have the opportunity to share with someone. I am a teacherin Jacksonville, Fl. June 5th was our last day of school and a number of kids decided to skip and go to the beach. Around 9:30 we were all notified of a horrific accident that then took 3 lives and yesterday a 4th. The drive of the car was the only one wearing a seat belt and only had minor injuries. No need to go into details. The driver is a student of mine and is feeling very guilty but it is not his fault, a tire blew and that is what caused the wreck. I am trying to find words of encouragement to help him through these times but I can’t. I myself dont understand but I do know that God is in control and has something good that will come from this horrible event. Sorry ot ramble. For those who read this comment I beg you, please pray for Brandon (drive) that he will not blame himself and that he will get through this difficult time as well as the 4 families that lost their children at suc ha young age. My desire in teaching is that my life does leave a positive impression on the lives I am around.
Thank you!
Jenny’s last blog post..Last Day of School!
[Reply]
Jenny
8:16 pm
Yesterday is a done deal. Can’t change it, but we CAN learn from it.
We can learn from the positives, and build on them.
We can learn from the negatives, and avoid them.
Great post, Pete!
Buddy Knight’s last blog post..Date Like You Fish!!! (No, really!)
[Reply]
Buddy Knight
9:45 am
Interesting timing, so true.
I had finished a meeting in the middle of my scheduled, pressured day today. I really thought that I had *no* time for anything but to rush back to the office. Suddenly I had the urge to go grab a coffee in a favorite bookstore, overlooking a pedestrian walkway.
Amazing…there I was, doing what I thought I really shouldn’t…yet the presence of God was there, calm and reassuring. I read a little of my book, basked in the sunlight from the window, drank coffee and prayed – I think it was the best moment I’ve had in weeks – simply because of the choice to live the moment and enjoy it….your post reminded me of it.
Monica’s last blog post..revelation
[Reply]
Monica
3:59 am