I never saw it coming. The voice on the other end of the phone said in a frail but determined way: “If God gives me four more weeks of life, I will finish this book. I’ve been working on it every day.” My eyes swelled up with tears immediately. The man speaking those words, Billy Hornsby, has been battling an aggressive form of cancer that has now moved into his brain. He’s a good friend, a great leader, and one the authors I represent. But he didn’t stop there. He paused and then spoke again, “God has been so good to me, and I want to help people to discover the amazing life He can give them. I just need a little more time.” Overwhelmed by Billy’s response, I had to pull over and try to get myself back together.
Just hours before, I had a completely different conversation with someone who’s biggest ambition in life was to have more time off from work. Billy’s urgency to finish strong and to continue to fulfill his God-given purpose till the very end spoke deeply to me. It has forced me to re-examine my choices, priorities, and aspirations. It has prompted me to look afresh at God’s will for my life.
I have been abundantly blessed in every area of my life. It would be wrong and wasteful of me to wander through life without a greater purpose other than, as the old hymn says, “count my blessings, naming them one by one.” Billy is not done. He needs four more weeks, and I know that if God grants him more than that, he will find another project to do.
So today I’m praying that God will help me refocus my life and that I will be obedient in relentlessly pursuing it.
What would you do if you knew you only had four weeks left to live?
