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James Pence

James Pence

How God is Faithful Through Loss and Adversity

If Today is My Last Day…

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I grew up Episcopalian, so I’m used to prayer books. And although I love The Book of Common Prayer, my favorite prayer book is a curated collection of prayers titled The Valley of Vision.

I read one prayer a day from this book, and the final lines of yesterday’s prayer made a deep impression on me:

“May I speak each word as if my last word,
and walk each step as my final one.
If my life should end today,
let this be my best day.”

(The Valley of Vision, “Morning Dedication,” p. 221).

 

I’d read those words many times before, but in the light of the near-fatal heart attack I suffered in January, they took on new meaning. No longer are those words theoretical, tucked away in the archives of my mind, to be pulled out when needed.

I realize now that every day could indeed be my last. And with the understanding that I could be face to face with my savior at any moment, it is more important than ever for me to think, act, and speak in a manner that will honor him–not because I’m afraid, but because I don’t want to be ashamed when I stand before him.

Lord, if today is my last day, let it indeed be my best day.

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14b NRSV).
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