Terminal Issues
It is no secret that things and goals in our lives become much more focused when we experience the death of a loved one, or when we ourselves come close to death.
It is at times such as these that we face what I call “terminal issues.” When we do, we begin to prioritize, or reprioritize.
We All Do It
I have noticed over the years that when things are going well day after day, I lose my sense of priority. When I lose my sense of priority, I tend to lose sight of my purpose.
Consequently,
I end up routinely day after day going to work, going home, getting up the next day, and starting the routine all over again. Such a life can be boring and monotonous.
You see, without priority, we lose our purpose. Without our purpose, we lose our passion.
However, I have also faced significant “terminal issues” in my life, the death of loved ones on multiple occasions and also times when I have come close to death myself.
It is then, in those times, that I am most passionate about those things that are most important.
Too often, we wait for “terminal issues” to be our impetus to prioritize, but we shouldn't.
It is good to stop and prioritize those many things and goals in our lives when there are no “terminal issues” facing us.
Regular Times of Reprioritization
I believe that God would have Christians take account and reprioritize their lives at regular intervals.
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ — 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV)
Lives of Passion
With our priorities in order, our purpose for living becomes apparent, and then we live lives of passion.
We should all take time to consider our lives and reprioritize, with or without “terminal issues” facing us.
When we do, I believe we will understand our purpose and live with passion as we move ahead in what God has called us to.
His Plan For Me
When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ
And He shows His plan for me,
The plan of my life as it might have been
Had He had His way - and I see
How I blocked Him here, and checked Him there,
And I would not yield my will,
Will there be grief in my Savior's eyes,
Grief though He loves me still?
Would He have me rich and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While memory runs like a hunted thing,
Down the paths I cannot retrace.
Lord, of the years that are left to me
I give them to Thy hand
Take me and break me and mold me,
To the pattern that Thou hast planned.
— Author Unknown
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One of Ric's former professors responds:
Ric, I enjoyed your latest CT.
Whatever causes us to ask again, "Do I really want to be doing this?" and "What else could I be spending my energy on?" and "What is the reason or cause around which I am building my lifestyle (ministry, vocation, etc.)?" often comes in the form of an interruption or blockage.
Seeing what you have seen turns the annoyance into a moment of clarification. I know what that feels like.
Fortunately, such insight can be prompted by other circumstances than "terminal events." Reading, a conversation with a trusted friend, retreats for refocusing, the list goes on.
Certainly, terminal events can prompt one to take stock or assess progress. Godly sorrow as in a time of cataclysmic conversion could be a time of dying out to the old life in order to come alive in Christ.
Even retirement from a primary occupation can be such a time. In fact, it becomes a daily habit of choosing how one lives the next 24 hours and then the next, etc. With six Saturdays and one Sunday in each week, that allows a lot of examining of the best use of one's time and energy. But it becomes more enjoyable as the Lord gives time to keep practicing. --DC
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