“Most expect to meet Jesus face to face in the next two weeks.”
This is a quote describing the situation on the ground for Christians in Afghanistan.
Let that sink in: many Christians in Afghanistan believe that, with the Taliban coming back to power, they will be martyred in two weeks under the radical Islamic rule of the Taliban.
Two weeks to live.
That’s an unfathomable situation for many of us. But perhaps it’s a needed wake-up call. A wake-up call to the fact that, though we wake up each day assuming we’ll have tomorrow, next week, next year, the next decade, and even many decades before our time comes, the truth is this: we aren’t even guaranteed tomorrow.
Any of us could be dead in two weeks. Which begs the question:
What would you do differently if you new your life would be over in two weeks?
Would you spend your time trying to preserve your life for all of those two weeks?
Or might you take some risks because you were living on borrowed time anyway?
I’m not recommending going out and doing stupid stuff, and I’m not knocking anyone for trying to live as long as possible (which is why I don’t swim in the ocean, and I still wouldn’t even if I had just two weeks because, you know, Jaws isn’t how I want to go out!).
All I’m saying is that idea really ought to shift our perspective.
It should make us ponder whether what we’re giving our lives to is actually important…and whether what we did over the next two weeks would actually matter after we were gone.
It should make us ponder whether so many of the arguments we get into- whether over COVID-related things, politics, personal drama, and so on- are really worth the effort.
It should make us ponder whether we’re playing life too safe…or taking Jesus command to pick up a cross and follow Him- to lose our lives- seriously.
The truth is this: in the United States, we live in comfort. Sometimes, I wonder, if it’s too much comfort. It is extremely unlikely in the United States that you will be martyred for your faith. Physical suffering for following Jesus is unlikely at this point in history in the U.S. Sure, you might get some nasty things said about you, but you’ll read them sipping a latte at Starbucks or from the screen of your smartphone sitting on your couch in your air conditioned home.
Suffering for Christ? I’m not so sure…
How might you get out of your comfort zone over the next two weeks if you knew it was all the time you had…and what would you do?
I’d hope it wouldn’t be something frivolous in light of the eternity coming. I’d hope it would be something of eternal value.
I’d hope it would be having that conversation with that person that you know needs to hear the Gospel. That it would be the phone call to the person you’ve known you needed to call and apologize to for years, but haven’t done so. That it would be the spiritual conversation with your children on what really matters for all eternity.
For others of you, it may be finally being serious about Jesus and turning your life over to him, no longer waiting until “life slows down”.
If you’d do it if you only had two weeks, why not do it today?
Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5 command us to make the most of every opportunity.
Folks: opportunity is here today.
You probably have more than two weeks to live. But you could have less. You could only have today.
If there’s something you would do, should do, could do that you know would matter for all eternity: do it now.
Tomorrow is not promised. It’s time we started living like that was true.
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This post originally appeared on dillonschupp.com.