Bucket List

Do you have a bucket-list? I wrote one once - I'm not alone - Barack Obama has one too. He ticked off "visit Stonehenge" last week and why not? The world in all its beauty and history is a fascinating place.

Since the US President's trawl around the stones, the web has been awash with bucket-list ideas. There's even now a "Great British Bucket-List" - I've done 14 out of the 50 - clearly I still have plenty to do on my days off in the coming years!

It's all very well to have hope and dreams - personally, I would love to bottle-feed a baby panther and I make no apology for that - but there's a danger that we can get so focused on the here and now that we forget what's truly important. Visiting the Giant's Causeway, climbing Ben Nevis and eating a deep-fried Mars bar may all bring a smile to our face but they pale into insignificance when compared with the glory of knowing Christ, the privilege of serving Christ and wonder of going to be with Christ in eternal bliss.

Which all got me thinking ... what would a Christ-centred spiritual bucket list look like? What do I long to do in him before I die?

1. Get ever more excited about Jesus' work on the cross
2. Tell all my friends the gospel
3. Conquer my ongoing struggles with pride
4. Learn to tame my tongue in ways that honour my Lord
5. Come to forgive - wholeheartedly - all those who have hurt me in the past
6. Actually study Lamentations properly so I really understand it
7. Get better at loving my neighbours - especially those who are different to me
8. Become more familiar with church history - there's so much to learn from believers of the past
9. Cultivate an attitude of thankfulness that helps me be ever-mindful of how blessed I am

It's not compulsory to have one. But it's an interesting way to spend a few moments. Why not ponder it now. And maybe even share a thought or two ...