Now that you have pictured yourself in the rocking chair and contemplated what you desire those closest to you to say about you at the end of your life, you can see the potential clarity this can provide in decisions you face.
Here are some powerful questions to reflect on after revisiting our view from the rocking chair:
At the end of my life, my spouse will say…
At the end of my life, my children will say…
At the end of my life, my friends will say…
The Value of the Rocking Chair Perspecitve
In our own lives, there are many day-to-day situations where we can make better choices if we remember the rocking chair outlook.
Possibly the most compelling reason to keep the rocking chair perspective close at hand is this: We only get one shot at this life.
The Hourglass Perspective
An hourglass is one of the most captivating symbols. It gives us a picture of something that is constant, intangible, and unstoppable.
Each grain of sand passes from the upper to lower chamber, signifying the passage of time. The hourglass captures the truth that our time left on this earth is continually decreasing.
While the rocking chair perspective clarifies what matters most, the hourglass makes vivid the value of our time.
We all have an unseen hourglass representing our life. On the day our life began, the upper chamber was full of countless grains of sand and the lower chamber was empty.
Only God knows how many grains of sand are left.
We can wisely invest our time in the things that will matter most at the end of our lives, or we can “get around to that later.”
Lessons From A Car Crash
We have friends who lost their twenty year old daughter in a tragic car accident.
Consider the moment her parents heard the news of the crash and their loss.
After the first immense wave of grief, what do you think went through their minds?
What would you or I think about in the same situation?
Did we make the most of the time we had with our child?
Did we teach and show her about the Lord and His love?
The truth is, we never know when these phone calls will come. We do not know how much sand is left in the hourglass.
Whenever the sand runs out for us or for a loved one or friend, our chance is gone. We do not get another opportunity.
Motivation To Live Without Significant Regrets
Grappling with this truth is sobering. But if we keep it in mind, it can be a tremendous motivator to live so we will not have significant regrets.
The rocking chair perspective and exercise are intended to provide vision and practical goals so you know you have invested well when the last grain of sand has fallen.
