The Bucket List - Pt 1

But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 ESV).

First, I am not dying, at least no more than all of us are moving a bit closer with each passing moment. So far as I know today, I will be living a lot longer. However, with some newer health issues and the natural aging process I have begun to think more about my life. One of the questions is: “Did I get everything done that I could or should have gotten done?” Our reading indicates the apostle thought about that as well. He is writing to the Thessalonian Church with a regret and apology for not having come to see them yet. It reminded me that a “bucket list” is not such a bad idea for any of us, regardless of age or health. So, let me list some of mine and encourage you to do the same as we go through the next few days. Everyone will have their own list. This is mine. It is by no means absolute. It’s just my stuff. The list is long, and therefore I will divide it into some manageable segments. Also, there is no order; honestly I’m not sure what I’ll end up with yet. I’m writing these with a few in mind though I’m sure others will come to light as I think about it. That also means that if one item appears sooner than another, it says nothing about their relative importance. And, it’s my list. Some of them might be on your list; some may not. I suppose my encouragement to you is to have a list. Being intentional in life is so important. Because this is my list, it is written from a perspective of being a believer. So, I’m not going to put becoming a Christian on the list. Obviously that has to be a fact in anyone’s life if there is to be any real meaning or purpose in any of the things we do. So, let’s get to it. I want to make sure I talk to each person in my immediate family and assure them of my deep and abiding love for them. That’s not something I don’t normally do anyway; however, I want to be very clear. That’s pretty easy with some of my family. They are all old enough to be able to communicate. However, my younger grandchildren haven’t developed those skills yet. So, I have written “last letters” that I periodically update. I want them to be able to read my words to them as much as they desire for the rest of their lives knowing they were loved for who they are and not for what they have or have not done. I want them to possess memories of things we’ve done, or things we’ve experienced together; however, more than anything I want them to be assured of my love for them. It is on the bucket list and checked off. Maybe it should be on yours.