30 Days to Live – Tony Agnesi

“Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Psalm 90:12 (Grail)

What if you only had one month to live? What would you do if the doctor said to get your affairs in order in the next 30 days? How would you live your life if you knew with certainty that your days on earth were numbered?

Would you do anything differently? Would you make some changes in the way you are currently living your life?

Would you spend more time with your kids, and really listen when they talk with you?

Would you look at your spouse the same way you did when you were dating?

Would you stop to smell the roses, take in a sunset, or enjoy the sounds of nature?

Would you call an old friend that you haven’t seen in years?

And, what about your faith?

Would you pray more, attend mass more frequently, be grateful for little things, and be more forgiving of those that have hurt you in the past?

[pullquote]“Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.” – Alan Sachs[/pullquote]

Important questions, right? But, rarely do we ever take the time to think about these questions. We live as if there is no running clock, as if we will be on earth forever. Questions to be put off for a later time, when we are older, when old age brings us closer to the certainty of death.

Occasionally, these are questions to be dealt with now. Things like a cancer diagnosis, a bad automobile accident, or a bad fall on the ice can force us to ask these questions immediately.

I can remember vividly how my focus changed when I was diagnosed with colon cancer eight years ago. I was going about living my life with a “soft focus” filter on, everything was pleasantly moving along.

That cancer diagnosis brought everything into focus. It is a sharp, clear focus where things that I never thought about, suddenly became important. And, like many others before me, I began to ask these tough questions about change, about priorities, about what is really important.

I learned that our time here on earth is short. We weren’t made for this life but for the next. We were made for eternal life, for heaven.

If you are honest with yourself and ask these questions, you will make some changes. You will do things differently. You will become a better person.

As a matter of fact, you will become the most authentic version of yourself. Your spouse will notice the changes, so will your kids, your friends and everyone around you. You will become the “you” that God intended you to be.

Last week, eight years later, I had a biopsy for possible prostate cancer. The biopsy forced me to ask these questions once again. The possibility of a new cancer made me ask the question, “What if?”

This week, I got the results. There was no cancer. I’m 100% cancer free! It was a scare for sure, but a bad thing; no! Occasionally, God has to take drastic actions to get our attention. I praise God, and thank him for this blessing. And, I thank the many people who kept me in their prayers these past few weeks.

The next chance you get, take some time to ask, what if I had only 30 days to live? Then, have the courage to make the changes necessary to become the most authentic “you” that you can be. It’s the “you” God intended.

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