If All I have is Today

You never know what wonderful surprises Homeschool Gavel Club speakers might hold for you. One of the speakers yesterday recreated the commencement speech Steve Jobs gave to Stanford University. I have long admired Steve Jobs- doesn't everyone- but one part of the speech really struck me. He told the students that as a young man he heard the advice to live each day as if it were his last. He said that death is one of the greatest gifts in life, because it makes us evaluate and use our time wisely. Every morning, he would look in the mirror and think, if this were the last day in my life, would I be spending it the way I intend to today? If the answer was "no" for many days in a row, he knew he needed to reassess what he was doing.

I thought about that as I sat in the Gavel Club room, watching the back of my curly haired daughter's head as she also listened to the speech. I would want to be with loved ones, I thought. I would want to be right with God. I would want to perhaps draw a beautiful picture, or write a beautiful paragraph, stroke the heads of my dogs, eat lobster dipped in butter, be surrounded by the wonder of God's creation. And how lovely that yesterday, except for the lobster, I had come close to how I would have wanted to live my last day, though it would have been closer if all of my loved ones were near.

I don't know if Steve Jobs was a believer. But God also cautions us to live life wisely, regarding every moment as precious, as an opportunity, as something we should not squander. Hearing Steve Jobs' speech about death now, after he had died, was sobering. I prayed that he had indeed known God, and could reflect in Heaven upon how he had spent his time on earth without regret. If today is all I have, may it be the very best today it can be, devoted to the One who made the day in the first place.

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)
Be very careful, then, how you live---not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. [18] Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, [19] speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, [20] always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.



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