Living Life Backwards - A Different Perspective

I posed this thought to my children the other day:

What If...

parents knew how old a child was going to be when that child was born 

and

as a result, we counted our years down instead of up.

Would you live your life more fully, knowing that your days were "numbered" and life had a clearly-defined ending? Would you live in fear of what was coming and try to play it safe - perhaps in the effort to "escape" the inevitable? 




If my mom knew that I was supposed to live 76 years and 10 days at my birth, she would tell people I was "76" years old when they asked how old is the cute little baby. And as each birthday passed, my numbers would go down - 75, 74 and so on. And then as the days dwindled in the final year, I would count down the months and the days themselves, reliving old memories, taking time to say goodbye, having final celebrations of life... 


Though the exact number of years we each are to live remains a mystery to us, this is really the scenario that we each are faced with as we progress through life, is it not? After all, we know death will come to us "one day." There is no sense denying it, so why do so many live like they can escape the path of every life? This is the bar I have decided to begin using for decisions I make in life. Living "as if" my days are numbered (as they truly are!) and looking to find the joy, kindness and challenge in each minute that is allotted to me.


What opportunities and challenges do we pass up in fear? What opportunities do we allow to pass us by in our lethargy? What kindnesses do we avoid offering others in our desire to be "me first" in life? What do we lose by not considering - not remembering - that each day brings us closer to our last? 

In your own life, what would you change if you knew exactly how many days you have allotted to you and could cross them off on a calendar? 

And why are you putting those changes off now?


This post is linked to: Growing Godly Men