When faced with our own mortality, perspectives change. We often discover what is really important to us. Bronnie Ware worked for many years in palliative care with those about to die. In talking to them she found that every one of them had regrets or things they would do differently, and that common themes emerged. The top five were:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Reading this makes me wonder what I am really striving for in life. What is my ultimate objective? Position? Wealth? Success (whatever that is)? Happiness?

Jesus said that he came to bring life in all it’s fulness. What does that mean?

Certainly there are many who realise much too late that they have spent far too much time earning a living rather than working at life. It is all to easy to leave little time for our families and friends, and maybe God gets squeezed out too. In her article, Regrets Of The Dying, Bronnie says:

“By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities.”

All this reminds me that work is God’s gift to me, a means for me to fulfil my calling and to worship, not just a source of income. It needs to be part of a whole life given to God, where nothing is compartmentalised but all aspects are integrated.

Not always easy to achieve, but surely something worth working at?

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