If you were to die today what would you wish you’d done differently? Would there be things you’d want to put right? Would there be ambitions left unfulfilled? Tasks undone – or not done as well as you’d like?
It’s a fascinating question. And one that has captured my imagination since reading an article in the Guardian this week: Top five regrets of the dying.
In the article, the most common regrets were:
A list that, I suggest, it would be hard for any Bible-believing Christian to articulate.
Oh, don’t misunderstand me. As I Christian I find myself thinking all those things from time-to-time. I’m not suggesting we’re immune from holding those priorities. But, at our core, we know there are more important things at stake.
Far from a more self-centred life, the Bible calls us to live an increasingly self-sacrificial life – to have the mind of Christ who was willing to serve, and serve to the point of death (Philippians 2:1-11). And while rest and relationships are, of course, important, there’s a sense in which we are called to labour for the gospel in a harvest field where there is much to be done and few to do the work of the Kingdom (Matthew 9:38) – our mission demands hard work. There’s no place for naïve repression of feelings in the Christian life but we are called to exhibit self-control(Galatians 5:23), to quietly forgive those who have hurt us (Colossians 3:13) and to tame our tongue (James 3:1-18) far more than the world generally expects. And, while social interaction is good for the gospel, there is also a sense in which we are called to leave those we love (Matthew 19:29), and leave the cultural idol of happiness behind as we pick up our cross and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34).
So, does that mean a Christian’s will simply have a different list of regrets? Well, maybe. Maybe we’d wish we’d loved other people more deeply. Maybe we’d wish we’d articulated the gospel more clearly to those we love the most. Maybe we’d wish we’d spent our money more wisely. In short, maybe we’d wish we’d stored up more treasure in heaven and less on earth (Matthew 6:20).
But one of the liberating messages of the gospel is that, come the end of our life, we don’t have to have any regrets at all. All our sins are dealt with. Our future secure. And, having been participating in Jesus’ mission in the power of the Spirit and in whatever ways we are gifted by God, we can join with Paul when he says:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Tim 4:6-8
