Death Clock

“You have three months to live.”

The words bounce off the doctor’s office walls, connecting and reverberating through the chambers of the soul. This isn’t just the second, but the third opinion. All options are out; this is a terminal diagnosis.

Three months to live…until you die.

The heart rate monitor on my watch tells me my resting heart rate is typically 59 beats per minute. With every “lub-dub” I can literally feel the seconds of my life being counted from within as oxygen is pumped throughout my system. Until the day it doesn’t…every life-giving breath brings me closer to death.

What will we do with the time that remains? Will we see the wonders of the world, drinking in as much as we can before death comes for us? Do we surround ourselves with family and friends?

Is there a sudden need to make amends and reconciliations, to put things right with those around us?

Or is there a scramble to suddenly find religion, an intimate personal relationship with Christ? Have we gotten “right” with God yet; do we have the blessed assurance of eternity?

Each response is a reflection of the way we have lived our lives up to the point of diagnosis. Will we face our end with regret, condemnation, shame or sadness or will we approach it in peace?

Jesus says this:

“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
(Matthew 5:24-25)

Jesus said it’s important to have good relationships around us even before we bring offerings because he wants us to be at peace with one another before we come into His holy presence. I suppose this includes before we die and come before Him for all eternity.

I have to ask myself this: Am I reconciled with those around me in my spheres of influence right now? Have I hurt people intentionally or accidentally and not asked forgiveness – are my accounts settled with my fellow man? If they’re not, what do I need to do about it?

I know that I don’t want to be by myself when I enter the heavenly kingdom and stand before the throne of the Lord God Almighty. I want Jesus standing next to me as my advocate! I also don’t want the regrets of sin and unforgiveness strapped on my back when I leave this earth. What do I need to do today to be sure of that?

The truth is, we all have a Death Clock. According to one online website, my death date is 13 July 2068 and, as of the time of this writing, that means I have another 1.5 billion seconds. That’s fifty years from now, but truly, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow. After all, I know it is God that determines how many days I have left of my life. (Job 14)

Time is ticking…dwindling…death eventually comes for us all.

Tick-Tock…
Tick-Tock…
Tick-Tock…

Maybe if we were to live as if we only had three months left, the world would be a better place.