When a man is told he has terminal cancer, as I was just a few months ago, it also tends to focus his thoughts. I had never been seriously sick my entire life, and now I found myself facing my own imminent death. I felt as though I were on Question 3 of a ten-part exam, hearing the examiner announce that there was just five minutes left: so much to do; so much left undone.

Although we give lip service to our own mortality, we really think and live as though we have unlimited time ahead of us. We place a lot of expectations upon life. We count on seeing our children grow up, our grandchildren arrive, our retirement years to be enjoyable

Since learning of my fateful diagnosis, though, I have found that my perspective has changed. Things that were once important to me — financial security, a sense of control over life, reputation and recognition — have faded into the background. Things I often took for granted — the love of family and friends, my relationship with God, the value of each moment — have come to assume a far greater importance in view of my uncertain future.

As I have adjusted to living with cancer, I have learned three things.

Life Is Short
The Bible describes our physical body as a tent¹. A tent is a temporary dwelling place; it is weak and frail, easily damaged, quickly torn down. I have done enough camping to know that I would not want to live permanently in a tent. The Bible says that our life is like a mist that appears for awhile then vanishes away².

As I write this, I am fifty years old. That's considered fairly young by western standards, but if I had been born in Africa, I would have already exceeded my life expectancy. Whether we reach the age of fifty or ninety, these few years we live on earth are pitifully short. And there is a yearning in our heart for more. We hunger for immortality; for eternity. We instinctively know that we have been created for more than just our earthly lifespan. Indeed, the Bible confirms that we have been created for eternity.

So if living eternally is what I have been created for, it makes sense to me not to put all my eggs into this tiny basket of my life. God calls me to get ready for eternity because that's the main event. How do we get ready for the main event? By receiving God's entry pass — Jesus Christ.

Heaven Is Home
I like good things. I am married to a beautiful wife; I have five wonderful sons and the cutest grandson in the whole world. I enjoy nature and art, music and astonomy. (Until I started chemotherapy, I also enjoyed food!) I like new things; I love order and precision. It occurred to me one day, not long after learning I had cancer, that if God made this world so breathtakingly beautiful — that if He packed into this planet that is our temporal home so much to appreciate and enjoy, and if He endowed us with the ability to truly enjoy it — how much more beautiful must our eternal home be? And how much greater our enjoyment of it?

Heaven will be the most fascinating adventurous, achingly beautiful place. The Bible, referring to Heaven, states, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."³.

Live For God
If life is short and Heaven is home, then why am I here? It is a valid reason; a question to which many people haven't discovered a satisfying answer.

I have learned that I am simply to live for God. In His wisdom, He has placed me on this planet so that I may bring glory to Him and point other people to Him. God is my ultimate frame of reference: I am not here for my own benefit, or for any purpose other than God's purpose for me. And the wonderful thing about living for God's purpose is that He gives me what I need.

God placed me here to live for Him. That's my purpose and my mission. If I abandon that mission by living for myself — by living as though I were the only one who matters — my life will fall short of that which God designed me.

Life is short, and Heaven is home, and I learned that what I do, and how I live, during my short stay on earth matters enormously in Heaven. It matters because God says it does. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."4 And He's going to ask us "What did you do while you were living in that tent? Who were you living for? Were you living for Me or were you living for yourself? Were you living in anticipation of coming to Heaven, or were you too busy trying to turn your little life into a personal 'heaven on earth'? How did you treat other people? Did you love them and care for them, or did you use them? Did you care about priorities?"

Remember...Life is short; Heaven is home; Live for God.

You can have your sins forgiven and know that
God has a place reserved in Heaven for you by
sincerely praying a simple prayer to God,
saying something like this:
"Dear God, I acknowledge and confess to You
that I am a sinner, but now repent of my sins;
I understand that Jesus died on the cross to pay
the penaly for my sins, and I now truly believe
in Him and receive Him as my
Savior and Lord".