.LAST BREATH.

Hi again. This is the third installment in the monthly devotional project, SEVENS...

.LAST BREATH.

If you could plan it out, what would you say with your last breath? Take a minute to consider it. As this thought occurred to me this morning on my drive to work, I amused myself with a few...
"Ta-daa!" ...or... "And now, let's see what's next." ...or... "I regret nothing!" - I actually had some friends in college who agreed that this is what they would say if they ever fell off a cliff to their death.

But what really would I choose to say? I don't know. I might go with "My life is just beginning."

What would you say?

A few years ago, my dad and I went with a friend of his, to pick up a Studebaker truck that someone had sold him. Dad was in a Studebaker drivers club with this friend, and this was a somewhat common but always joyful occurrence - going to "rescue" a special old car from someone who didn't need it any more. This was on Saturday, and my dad's friend died on Sunday. I remember trying to help my dad deal with the sadness by saying, "at least he got to do something he loved."

Earlier this week I was asked to speak at a weekly Bible study at a local middle school. A girl had been killed on her way to school on Monday of that week, and I would be standing in front of close to 200 of the students - her friends, her classmates - on Wednesday morning. Many of them had seen her just days before... a lively 7th grade girl!

That very evening, my wife pulled the minivan (with our two kids inside) into the church parking lot, and through her tears she simply said, "We almost died." I tried to make light of it, so the kids wouldn't be scared, but as I pulled my 2-year-old our of her car seat, I realized once again just how precious they are - how precious life is - how empty I would feel if they were gone with no notice.

That same night, an old friend told me that a child at the school where she teaches had died a few weeks ago. He was in school one day, gone the next.

Another good friend lost her grandmother yesterday. The family knew she was dying, but didn't know how soon, so they went quickly to be with her. They had prayed for nothing more than the chance to talk with her before she died.

None of these stories have a sweet, happy ending.
None were the way we would have planned them.
No one knows when their last breath will be.
But what we DO know is that EACH breath we get is a gift from God. EACH breath is a privilege. So as your "assignment," I would like you to...

First, take a deep breath, hold it, thank God that He has given you life - and breath. Then GO! Make the best of every breath you have. Take the time to say some important words to the people you love. You may need to heal a relationship or two. You might need to make a difficult phone call or visit someone personally in order to do this. And someone may even say some very hurtful things back to you while you are sincerely trying to mend a broken relationship. But your responsibility is to give it your best. Open your heart.

So... it's not going to be easy. But I will give you the same advice I gave those middle schoolers: Care more. Listen more. Show genuine concern for others. Help provide peace and comfort for each other, amidst a world that is all too full with sorrow, brokenness, hurt, and pain. And above all else, cling to the cross: Jesus knows very well what it's like to experience separation and sorrow. Thank him for going through this process with you.

Hearing from you will help me know if these thoughts are making a difference to you. Let me know if you're accomplishing the "project."
Thanks for readin' ... and be blessed!

Aaron

PS - this came, in part, as a result of a conversation with an old friend, who is actually on the mailing list. Thanks, Ruth.
(Originally published December 7, 2007)