Living Life with a Sense of Urgency

Do you live your life with a sense of urgency?

"Certainly," you might say, "I am constantly confronted with deadlines at work." Or, "My kids are always on the run. I'm always bringing them to school, to baseball practices, to piano recitals . . . it never seems to end." Or, "The bills are piling up . . . they have to be paid."

So yes, in a very pragmatic way we do live our lives with a sense of urgency. However, this is not the urgency that I inquire about with my question. I am speaking of spiritual urgency, the concept that the days of one's life are not limitless, and the recognition that millions and billions of men and women are engaged in a game of spiritual roulette, for they do not know God.

Are we concerned about the lost? This is the interrogative that lies at the heart of my question. Are we concerned that countless individuals--relatives, friends, neighbors, strangers--are living lives apart from the grace of Christ? Are we concerned that many die every day, these men and women who have not discovered the hope that comes from faithful living?

The quick response is, "Yes, I am concerned," but don't we live our life with this concern neatly tucked away, placed under a hundred other more pressing concerns and only to be remembered when the time is convenient? "The grass has to be mowed." "The bills have to be paid." "I'm going on vacation." And our excuses continue.

Don't we spend much of our time following the examples of the prient and the Levite, characters in Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan? These men walked past a man in dire need of help, but for whatever reasons they did not stop. perhaps one reasoned that he had an appointment that could not wait. Perhaps one reasoned that another would soon pass by and render aid. Perhaps one reasoned that the man in need had brought his trouble upon himself and did not deserve the help of another.

Before we quickly condemen the priest and the Levite for their lack of concern and compassion, let us take a look inward. Have we not been guilty of similar sins? Every day we encounter men and women who are in dire need of help, perhaps with some physical need and certainly with a spiritual need. How often do we pass them by, offering an excuse to justify our inaction?

Again, I ask, do you live your life with a sense of urgency?