This article was first published at my old website, but given the death of a friend of my family last week, I felt it would be appropriate to repost it here at Heiress in Training.

I’ve been thinking a lot about death recently. Not exactly light-weight material, but something that has been heavy on my heart.

Let me rephrase that a bit.

I’ve been thinking about how quickly and unexpectedly our lives can end here on earth. Even if you do live for eight or nine decades, it still pales in comparison to all of eternity.

Part of what started me down this road of thought was the unexpected death of my uncle last year.

Nothing prepares you for that phone call.

Months past before your heart stops skipping a beat when you hear the phone ring again. You learn to treasure every minute with your loved ones, never end a conversation on a cross word, or go to bed angry with a treasured friend.

Recently, I have been reminded of the frailty of life after hearing about the deaths of two people in my circle of acquaintances. One was just a friend of a friend, the other was a young man that I used to play with as a child.

In both situations, it was entirely unexpected, and in both cases, they were prepared. For them, they had run their races to the finish, and although we might say that their lives were cut short, they had reached the finish line.

My finish line is approaching with every tick of the clock, every beat of my heart, every breath flowing through my lungs.

Have I jumped the hurdles God set out for me to surmount or passed the baton along to my fellow teammates in the relay race of life? So many things I put off doing for God, claiming exhaustion, bad timing, or procrastination. I’ve not been guaranteed another day, but only one moment, one minute, one step at a time.

Folks, it is time to live like we’re dying. Don’t wait to obey God. Do His will. Run the race.

See you at the finish line.