A wonderful guy at church recently received his Heavenly Promotion back in December. A little announcement was made to thoughtfully commemorate his life, but the date of death was accidentally written as December…of 2026.

Always observant, my daughter, who didn’t know this individual, saw the announcement and solemnly stated, “That’s going to be a bad December for that guy.”

And after my internal chuckles subsided, I thought about the implications of ACTUALLY knowing the specific date you are going to die. Would it cause you to “seize every moment” or would it propel you into a spiraling vortex of anxiety? And even if you were initially inspired to “live like you were dying,” would you feel a tinge of guilt if every day wasn’t legendarily epic?

Death is inevitable, but every day is a gift. You and I aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, and no one knows his or her expiration date. But this reality is either terrifying or liberating, and it all depends on whether or not you know the One who holds the future

1 Corinthians 15:55-58