Living with the End in Mind: How Mortality Grounds My Hope

I finished preparing my taxes this week after a few days of being buried in numbers. It was especially tricky with our move this past year—but don’t worry, I filed an extension.

Taxes are a pain. But as the old saying goes, “There are only two things you can count on: death and taxes.”

I’m not a morbid person. In fact, I’m generally optimistic—I tend to believe things will work out. But a few experiences have deeply grounded me in the reality of my own mortality: my mother’s early death, and being hit by a car—twice. Once when I was 10, and again at 44. Both were near-death experiences.

Those moments forced me to face something we all know but rarely dwell on: we won’t live forever.

When I bring this up, some people say I’m being morbid. But I don’t think it’s morbid at all. I think it’s clarifying.

Few people live their lives with the end in mind. But Stephen Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, identified this as the second habit of highly effective people:

Begin with the end in mind.

In other words, no matter what you do in life today, tomorrow, next month, or next year, remember to keep in mind where you will end up.

I have tried to live my life in light of eternity. It grounds so much of what I do. It isn’t morbid, as I am not depressed or somber about life. I have hope that life will continue beyond death, which gives me a lot of hope for today. I live life as an expression of this hope I have. People see me as an upbeat person. However, my optimistic attitude isn’t a result of denying the pain and suffering in or around me; it is the result of knowing this isn’t all there is to my existence or that of others.

This is what Peter meant when he wrote:

The hope and the reality of having Jesus Christ in control now and forever inform the way I learn, live, and grow.  I am not only learning, living, and growing for this earthly life, but for all eternity.  I believe what I am learning and how I am living now is simply the foundation on which I will build my life forever.  If God is anything like he appears through the pages of scripture (and I think he is), then I will be able to enjoy eternity so much more than this earthly life.  I will be able to learn unencumbered by my insecurities and limitations.  I will be able to see my insecurities as areas that can produce significant health and impact as I grow and mature them in the presence of Christ.  I won’t have to hide behind any pretense of being smart or gifted in any way, because I will be fully known. And in this fully known-ness, I will experience God’s full love, presence, and security.  I will lack nothing. 

So why wouldn’t I have a positive attitude about this life right now? 

I can also seek to bring some of this fullness to those around me who are not experiencing God’s redeeming growth in their lives.  I can accept, encourage, and love others who are hurting.  In doing so, not only do they experience a sense of being known, but I also see God’s hope being manifested in me and through me. 

It is this sense of hope of being fully known by God and present with God that truly does give me a sense of security in a world that is so crazy around me right now.  I am fully aware of the chaos politically, economically, mentally, and emotionally around me.  I do feel so sorry for people who get so caught up in this chaos that they can’t find hope, meaning, or direction.  They are to be pitied, not judged. 

This mentality of hope also gives me a perspective and power to overcome many of the temporary, alluring things around me.  Power, possessions, position, sex, or money are all temporary props for significance. I know they are all going to pass away.  Obviously, I forget this at times and fully succumb to some of these influences, however, I try to remember to center my life in my mortality. 

So this week, as I finished my income tax for another year, I knew that it was just another hoop I had to jump through until I do get to die and go home.