• Life Is Short & There Are No Second Chances

    By: Kristen L. McNulty

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    Recently I was scrolling through a social media site when I started seeing one post after another about someone in their thirties who suddenly passed away. Even though I didn't have the privilege of knowing this person, who from the outpouring of messages and tributes sounded like an incredible soul, the news really rocked me. Maybe because the person was only a few years older than me. But I think the reason went a little deeper than that.

    A few months ago I had a major bleed after undergoing surgery and went through a surreal experience that felt like a scene out of medical drama on tv. Gushing blood. Nurses running to get stuff. Calls to the OR and being rushed into an emergency surgery. And while I had complete and utter peace at the time and I was so blessed that the bleed was stopped in surgery, I'm still very much aware that things could have turned out differently. I walked away from that experience, but the outcome could have gone the other way. Why? It had nothing to do with who I am but everything to do with who God is and what His plans for my life are.

    Our Lifespan Has Already Been Set


    The Bible is quite clear, the length of our lives have been determined by God and God alone.

    "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:16

    "You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer." Job 14:5

    Will I ever understand why one life is cut short at 30 and another thrives until their nineties? Probably not, at least not on this earth. But what these verses teach us is it is God who controls the number of our days and while we might not be able to control the number of our days, we very much control how we live them.

    You and I can live like we have all the time in the world and waste days, moments, years, or even decades with what is useless and has no bearing on eternity, for us or anyone else. Or we can choose to throw ourselves headfirst into the life that we've been given, working hard with the gifts God gave us, to reach the people He placed in our lives, living each day like it is our last. That's how I want to live, now more than ever.

    We Get An X Amount of Days


    Life is short and there is no second chance. We get an x amount of days on this earth and there are no do-overs, not just for us, but for those around us who desperately need to know of the hope of our faith and the life Jesus can give them, both on this earth and for eternity to come. Because as we're cautioned in the book of James,

    "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone." James 4:14

    Living With Purpose and Passion


    It's time for you and I to live out each day with purpose and passion, not knowing how many we've been given, but knowing that if we're still breathing and our heart is still beating, it's because God's plans for us on this earth are not over yet and He has something He wants us to be doing today. Not tomorrow. Not when the mood strikes. But here and now in today. Following Jesus doesn't come with a gap year, spring break or vacation. Following Jesus means doing what He wants in every part of our lives and giving Him our best everyday, not just bits and pieces. He wants us to go the distance so He can finish the work He's started. Closing with Psalm 39:4, which is my prayer and I hope is yours too.

    “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. " Psalm 39:4

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