I WISH I COULD LIVE LIFE OVER AGAIN
I remember when I was an assistant pastor in TN visiting a man who had lived his whole life in sin and selfishness. He finally came to the Lord in his sixties. When he was diagnosed with cancer, I went to visit him at his home shortly before his death.
The day I was there, he was in a reminiscent mood. But I didn't hear a soliloquy about "the good ol' days" like I expected. It was more like a confessional. The old man shared with me how before he came to the Lord"
* he had neglected his family for his job
* how he had not been there for his children like he ought to have been
* how he had not trained up his children in the Lord, or even with any real character
* how he had squandered opportunities to make his life count by doing good to others or serving God
* how he had lived for sin and pleasure and popularity and making money and accumulating material things.
I recall that during our conversation, he suddenly grew very quiet. Sensing some inner struggle, I too sat silently--pensively awaiting his next words, pondering the things he had shared with me, frankly not knowing quite what to say. After a few moments, he looked away from me and I saw him wipe a tear away as he said, "I sure wish I could live my life over again."
As I looked at eyes misty with tears, I remember myself also wishing that he could live his life over again. But he couldn’t--because our lives are single. You only have ONE life to live, and then it’s over, so you’d better make it count!