How Much Of Your Life Are You Willing To Sacrifice?

If you want to know the TRUE value of something, don't look at how much money you've spent on it. Look at how much of your life you've sacrificed to get it. Then after you've spent your life getting it, ask yourself if you were charged fairly!

• You could always get more money.  
• You could always buy another home.
• You could always buy another car.
• You could always buy new clothes.
• You could always build more businesses. 
• You could always get a better job.
• You could always live in a better place.

But you can't get another life!

I'm thinking about a Bible passage that addresses this very thing. The apostle James wrote to a church and spoke about individuals who dream of starting up businesses. "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:13-14)

I think about Israel's ancient king Solomon when he says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." (Proverbs 27:1)

What's the point here? Is it that having dreams is wrong? Is it that pursuing certain things in life is pointless? No. It's that we should remember how fragile our life is. You could truly be here today and gone tomorrow. Your time on this planet is limited and nothing is guaranteed for tomorrow. 

Jonathan Larson, creator of the Broadway hit musical Rent died  before the show's first premiere. He had never seen the success of his creation. Even though his show became a HUGE success, he never lived to see any of that success, or to receive any profit from the Broadway play, or to receive any awards that this show won.

I remember back in college, we've experienced a few student deaths. One death occurred in the food court of the college where a student passed out while working by a grill. He died. Another death occurred when two students were driving and one of them lost control of the steering wheel. They cashed and lost their lives. Another death occurred when a van of students went over an overpass bridge. All those students died.

These students never completed their college education and never had the chance to pursue their dreams. Their lives were cut short while they were pursuing their dreams!

Life is absolutely fragile. You can't take it for granted. It is truly a vapor: here today, gone tomorrow.

So, what do you want to pursue in life? How much would it cost you to get it? That is, how much of your life are you willing to sacrifice to get it?

Yes, many of us want to be rich. How soon do you want those riches? You want them right away? Well, you're going to have to sacrifice your life for a few years to get those riches -- and yet, you may never live to see them!

Yes, many of us want successful careers. Those kinds of careers don't happen right away -- but if you want to get those careers quickly, you need to sacrifice a few years of your life. But, you may never get the chance to be that successful doctor, or lawyer, or president.

• You may never reach retirement. Start traveling now.
• You may not see your spouse again after you walk out that door. Start spending more time with him or her.
• Your kids may not make it to their teenage years. Enjoy them now.
• Despite all the exercise you do, you still may hurt yourself to the extent where your fitness career is over. Go easy on yourself and enjoy what you do now.
• You may never leave poverty. You just might die while in your poverty. Start enjoying the simple pleasures now.
• Don't stay mad at a loved one. You may never get the chance to make up with them.
• Don't seek revenge. You may die while plotting how to get back at someone.

Since life is so fragile, you need to focus on pursuing the right things in life, which I believe are the following:

• Spiritual health
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Relational health

Money comes and goes. Businesses come and go. Careers come and go. But you only have one life. Take full advantage of it.

If you're working on a business, don't spend too much time on it. If you're working to lose weight, don't stress over it. Take it slowly. If you're working on a blog like I am, don't try to post 10 blogs a day. Trying to do business on social media? Don't hover over your computer. Step outside and enjoy the day.

Success will come when it comes. If it comes tomorrow, great! If it comes in 20 years, great! But don't sacrifice your life to get success.  You may never get success. But you do have a life TODAY. So live TODAY while it is called TODAY. 

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