Monday's Resolution {Live In Light of Death}

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We are picking apart Jonathan Edward's 70 Resolutions, one week and one resolution at a time. Don't forget to start where he did- "Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ's sake."

17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die. 

My paraphrase:


17. Resolved, to live the way I will wish I had when I'm on my deathbed. 

Death has a funny way of putting everything into perspective.


In the busyness of day-to-day demands, it is easy to lose this perspective. The urgency of meals to be made, laundry to be washed and folded and ironed and put away, appointments to get to, and work to be done, leaves us feeling so pressured and stressed and rushed.

When's the last time you took a moment to pause and reflect on your life?

Where are you going with it? What are you seeking to accomplish? Are you spending the time you've been given on the people and priorities most important to you?

It's been said that life is made of many days, each day is a little life, and the way you spend your days is how you live your life. Are you satisfied with your life of little days? More importantly, is the Lord satisfied with your little days?

When I think about dying, so many all-consuming things lose their significance. Catching up on reading my RSS feed, maintaining a pristine home, and keeping up with Joneses just doesn't matter in light of eternity.

What does matter to me?

Faithfully fulfilling my calling as a Christ-follower, wife, mother, and home maker. 

First and foremost I am called to be a Christian. It is my duty to delight myself in the Lord, to seek Him first, to obey His Word. On my death bed I want to be so close to Him that death loses its sting.

On a day-to-day basis, this means I need to be keeping constant communion with Him- living in a consistent spirit of prayer, confessing sins as they're committed, reading and meditating on His Word so that I may know Him as He's revealed Himself to us. 

Secondly I am a wife. It is my sacred duty to love, serve, honor, help, submit to, and respect Niall. This job description is enough to knock the breath out of me when I consider how selfish I am and what a long way I have to go. But what little steps am I making towards improvement in the little life of today? Thinking about dying should propel me forward in this area.

Third, I am a mother. S has been entrusted to me by God Almighty. Wow. It is my privilege and responsibility to teach, train, discipline and nurture her. Yet how often do I find myself distracted from this great and noble priority? How often do I find myself checking email, chatting away on the phone, stressing over my to do list, instead of investing in her as I ought to?

I am also called to steward the home that God has given us. Now if I knew that I was going to die tomorrow, I might not do my dishes or vacuuming today ;). But I don't know the number of my days. I only know that God has called me to care for my home and family, and that these things need to be done. Doing housework diligently with a joyful attitude creates a peaceful and usable environment for the ones I love best. Thus I will care when I come to die how faithfully I managed this arena.

These are the key things that come to mind when I think about how I'd wish I'd lived when I die. By God's grace I want to purpose daily to think on these things, and allow them to mold my daily living.

What will be most important to you when you come to die? How can these priorities shape your life today?