Study Series: Crazy Love – Chapter Two
Before I get into this week’s chapter, allow me first to share some great news with you; You can now obtain an audio copy of Crazy Love for FREE from christianaudio.com. All you have to do is click here and follow the instructions on the page, entering the code JUL2009 when prompted to do so.
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We are in no way affiliated with christianaudio.com, nor do we benefit from any purchases that may be made on their site. We are simply highlighting a great offer that we feel may be of benefit to you.
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This week we found Francis rather fittingly describing our lives a vapour. Those of you who attend the Firwood Church evening service or listen to the podcasts will have heard much on this theme in the current sermon series, ‘Ecclesiastes: Under the Sun‘. With so much going on around us everyday, it is sometimes easy to forget the fragility of life. Francis pointed out via a quote by Frederick Buechner that whilst many people recognise the fragility of life on an intellectual level, we do not really live as if it were true.
With a group of young people in the room on Tuesday night there was a definite feeling that Francis was correct when he suggested that we often feel like we will live forever or that death is only something that will happen in another 60 or 70 years. Only as we began to discuss those that we knew personally who had died at an early age were we reminded of the truth of the fragility of this life which so often ends without warning.
About a year ago, I suddenly developed quite excruciating pains in my side. Believing this to possibly be a kidney problem, but stubbornly refusing to go to the doctors as it would almost certainly be ‘alright by tommorow’, I began to consider, perhaps in a slightly hypochondriacal way, the possibility of death. What would I do if in a few days I had been forced to see a doctor and had then discovered that death was a possibility?
As I pondered the things I would say and do in my last few days, I suddenly came to a realisation, if I would do these things with the possibility of death looming, why was I not doing them already?
This is similar to one of the points Francis made this week. We are created for God (Colossians 1:16), for good works (Ephesians 2:10), so why do we waste so much of our time on inconsequential things instead of the things of God?
As we considered this point there was a general sense, reflecting on the possibility of an imminent death, that we would feel a great regret for things left undone. The feeling of wasted time hung heavy on our minds. This was mostly as a result of recalling missed or ignored opportunities that each of us felt that we had had in years gone by to share the Good News of Jesus with others. It seemed that the focus shifted from our own fragility to the fragility of others and the urgency that should be present in us to reach them with the Gospel.
Too often we can find ourselves putting off what we know could be an awkward conversation because we think that there will be another time in the future.
There may not.
This reality however should not leave us trembling in fear of death. Instead, it should spur us into obedience to the One who orders all things, Jesus. In the accompanying video, Francis highlighted the importance of taking time each morning to simply ask the Lord:
“Show me what I’m supposed to do today.”
Why do we waste our time doing anything else?
The questions from the accompanying video this week could be thought morbid by some. I feel that whilst they may be difficult, they are important questions to consider if we are to face the true reality of life. Whilst I encourage you to engage in the discussion of these questions here, I would ask that you respect the privacy and feelings of the families of individual about whom you may be thinking. As such, please refrain from using names or otherwise identifying individuals that are not part of your family in response to the first question.
1. Think about some people in your life that have died abruptly. What do you think their acheivements were? What do you think would be their regrets?
2. If today was your last day, what would you regret, and why? What could you do today to change those regrets?
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For more in this study series, click here.