Several
years ago, I saw the movie “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan
Freeman. Jack Nicholson plays an
uncaring multi-millionaire named Edward, who has everything money can buy; and
Morgan Freeman plays Carter, a humble and very knowledgeable mechanic. These perfect strangers meet as patients in a
hospital room (actually it’s Edward’s hospital) where they both discover they
have cancer and have only a year to live.
“The
Bucket List” is a list of all the things to do before you ... “kick the bucket.” These two men decide with only a year left to
live they aren’t going to let their cancer hold them back from following their
dreams. So Carter heads off with Edward
in his private plane as they begin living out what they think are their dreams
and life goals, much to the chagrin of Carter’s wife and family. I don’t think I’m ruining the movie for you
if you haven’t seen it, but throughout their journey they begin to discover
what’s really important in life; and I’ll give you a hint -- it’s not about going
halfway around the world to see wonders of the world or live in luxury. They discover it has more to do with faith
and relationships; family and friends.
I
felt the idea behind this movie is a perfect launching point for the New Year …
because the New Year tends to be a time when we think about our life as we
reflect back on the past year and the things we did or didn’t do; the happy
moments; the regrets; the disappointments.
And then we look at the New Year as a fresh start; a chance to change
things and do better this year. Some of
us even make New Year’s resolutions. A resolution
goes something like, “I resolve that over the next year I am going to ... eat
less ice cream” … or something like that
Well,
resolutions are one thing. But a “Bucket
List” is different; it’s a bigger idea … because it is more than just what I
want to change, do better, or differently over the next year. The “Bucket List” is looking at the end of
your life and asking; what would you like to have accomplished before you leave
this earth? Supposing you have only a
year left to live, what regrets would you have if they weren’t done before you
die? What things have you left
undone? I can imagine some peoples lists
would be like Edward’s and Carter’s: kiss the prettiest girl in the world; make
a million dollars; skydiving; and maybe drive a favorite car model. Those may sound like pretty fun things to do,
but I’m going to challenge you to begin creating a “bucket list” for yourself
based not just on what you want to do, or what would be fun or exciting (that was
the problem Edward and Carter ran into); but prayerfully create a list of
things that are really going to matter at the end of our life.
Now,
you might be thinking, why a “bucket list?”
Isn’t this rather depressing? Why
would we want to talk about our death or kicking the bucket? Shouldn’t we be focusing on more positive
things? It’s interesting that even
Christians don’t like thinking about how short their life is. Yet, listen to what David wrote in Psalm 39;
he actually asked God to remind him how brief his time is on earth. Psalm 39:4-5 reads, “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that
my life is fleeing away. My life is no
longer than the width of my hand. An
entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.” [hear/view my message entitled “Setting
Priorities in Life” at https://livestream.com/accounts/3709164/events/7937477?t=1514297092571 as I
expound on this text]
Supposing
you find out tomorrow that you only have a year left to live. Would that cause you to change what you are
doing? It is being intentional about
doing what really matters. It will have
to deal with our relationships and with our faith. What loose ends would you like tied up? Relationships resolved? When people are at your funeral, what do you
want them to say about you? What are you
doing right now to accomplish these goals?
As
we create a “bucket list,” we are really asking, what are my priorities? What’s so important it has to be done or
become a part of my life before I die.
It’s more than just thinking, what would be a cool thing to do. It’s realizing my life will be incomplete
without this. It’s prioritizing what is
really the most important things, and making them a reality in our life right
now. Unfortunately, as we’ve already
mentioned our life usually doesn’t reflect our priorities, we live according to
our unwritten real priorities.
What
are these unwritten real priorities? Your
real priorities are identified by honestly asking yourself three simple
questions:
*
Where do I spend my time?
*
Where do I spend my money?
*
What do I think about most often?
These
are your real priorities. You can claim
whatever priorities you think you have, but the answer to these three questions
reveals what your priorities really are.
What we want is for our real priorities to match our hoped for
priorities.
Listen:
When creating a “bucket list” or setting your priorities, there are two things
to keep in mind:
1)
Ask, what does God want me to do; not what do I want to do?
2)
Don’t limit God.
Through
Christ God gives us the power to tackle God-sized dreams. If God tells us in His Word to do something,
then God will give us the strength, the ability, and the means to do it.
What
needs to go on your “bucket list?” What
needs to become a priority in your life?
May
your focus in 2018 be on real priorities and not on seasonal resolutions.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor,
Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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