Before I Die

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:20-26 ESV).

One day, not far from her home in New Orleans, artist Candy Chang noticed a large abandoned building. She said, “I thought about how I could make this a nicer space for my neighborhood, and I also thought about something that changed my life forever. In 2009, I lost someone I loved very much. Her death was sudden and unexpected. And I thought about death a lot, and this made me feel deep gratitude for the time I’ve had and brought clarity to the things that are meaningful to my life now. But I struggle to maintain this perspective in my daily life. I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you.” With permission from the town and her neighbors, Chang turned the eyesore into a work of art. She covered one side of the house with chalkboard paint. Then, she stenciled a few words on the wall approximately 80 times. The stencil read, “Before I die I want to…” She put a bucket of chalk near the wall. Soon there was a wall full of wisdom, wants, and wishes. When I read this story I was amazed how easy it is to forget the eternal nature of our lives in the pressing urgency of the daily demands. We’ve all heard about “bucket lists”; however, this is something different. Our reading today emphasizes this truth. As we continue to focus our attention on Lent, wouldn’t it be great to ponder the investment we make with our lives for the future? I wonder what kind of “grain of wheat” I am in the lives of the people that touch me each day. What harvest will be born because they came into contact with me? It’s at this point that the temptation to get deeply theological and feel guilt or shame for not having been a “witness” to every soul that crosses our path. Please don’t. Of course there are times when sharing the gospel is the seed to be planted; however, there are even more opportunities to simply speak a word of cheer or encouragement to those who are struggling through their journey. That’s the wheat that becomes the bread of life. Make that a goal of your life. Write that on your wall of “before I die” things to do.