As a pastor, I have been a part of many funerals over the years. Certainly, these are tough times, but one thing it does remind you of is that life is precious. We aren’t guaranteed our next breath or a certain amount of time, at least that we are aware of. Because of this, it is vital that we make the most of every moment we have been given because we never know when this life could move on to the next. I think this is why Moses had such a sobering revelation when he wrote:

Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

If you are waiting for a life-altering situation to jump-start your heart, you are missing out on all that life has to offer right now. To get the most out of this life, we need to live with the daily knowledge that we have an expiration date. This should compel us to embrace every moment and not miss out on what matters most. Too many people are living in a blinded reality by forgetting how precious life is. But just talk to anyone who has lost someone close and they will fill you in on the seriousness of the matter.

So how can we understand that life is precious and not waste it?

1) Embrace The Present

The past is gone, the future is not yet come, but what we do have now is the present. It is the only thing we can truly control. Many people are so busy living in the past, they miss what they have today. There are also those that are so busy living for the future that they miss out on what they have around them today. Usually pessimistic people are stuck in the past, while optimistic people are stuck in the future. It’s those who embrace the present that get the most out of life. Never allow yourself to lean too far in the past or too far in the future–lean into where you are now. Maximize what you have around you. Hug your kids a little more, kiss your spouse a little longer, laugh with friends a bit more, and be grateful for what you have.

2) Quit Worrying

I have heard it said that some people don’t just worry occasionally, they worry recreationally. Worrying is wasteful. I often say, “When we are focused on what we don’t have, we miss what we do have.” Worrying does nothing but waste opportunity. It doesn’t add anything to your life–it only takes away. The word worry comes from the Old High German word, wurgen, meaning “to strangle, constrict, choke.” Worrying chokes out your ability to embrace what you have. Remember what Jesus taught us:

Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

3) Give What You Have

Life is too precious to not do what you are gifted to do. Your talents, skills, and gifts have been given to be used, not collect dust. Don’t wait to do everything before you do something. If you wait to do something until you can do everything, you won’t do anything. Just start with what you can do. It’s not always the big things that make the biggest difference. Sometimes it’s the small things that have the greatest impact. Don’t focus on what you can’t do, focus on what you can do. Consuming your mind with your limitations only keeps you from doing something amazing.

Luke 12:48b (NIV)
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.