Until The Very End

We all carry around in our minds famous quotations that have stood the test of time.  Some are good to know and good even to follow. . “ The unexamined life is not worth living”. (Socrates)    “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  (Ben Franklin)

Some might be good in certain environments, but aren’t necessarily themes to wrap your life around…   “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing..” (Vince Lombardi)  Some are insightful warnings…“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” (Mark Twain)   And some are more than just quotes, they are words we should obey for a fulfilling life… such as…“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  (Jesus)    

Still others just occupy valuable space in our memories without providing much in return. Some would say that famous quotes are “a dime a dozen”. (I guess that’s a quote!)  In fact, you can order from Amazon THE ULTIMATE BOOK of FAMOUS QUOTATIONS which contains 10,000 famous quotes. Quite a few dimes there!

Seldom do I hear a quote that, not only lodges immediately in my memory,  but also makes me want to adopt it for my life. I recently heard such a quote.

I count Lance Brown, the Director of WhoUWith Ministries for athletes at Vanderbilt University, as a most valued friend. A couple of weeks ago, Diane and I were in the Nashville airport for a flight to Destin when we ran into him. Lance was leaving for a day trip to visit a close friend and former coach who was in the late stages of dealing with pancreatic cancer. Lance shared a quote from this guy who knows that he is rapidly approaching the end of his life.

When asked by Lance how he could pray for him, the friend replied: “Pray that the pain won’t get worse, and… that I might praise God and give Him the glory all the way to the end.”  WOW! What a witness!

 I will never get over hearing that quoted  prayer request. Not,  “pray for me to get well.”  Not,  “pray for me to have another year with my family.” Not even “pray that I might understand why I’m facing this dreadful situation.”   But… pray “that I might praise God and give Him the glory all the way to the end.” 

I am well into my seventies now. I have no known condition telling me that my end is imminent. But…I am far closer to that end than I have ever been, that’s for sure. How I wish that my driving force…my deepest desire, to the end of my life, would be that.

Examining my life is not what will make it worth living. Winning isn’t everything unless my definition of winning is the correct one. Instead of quotes that might point us to what the world would consider success, maybe we should lock into our minds and embrace quotations that have eternal significance.

I would strongly suggest…“That I might praise God and give Him the glory all the way to the end.”

(Maybe someday I will be free to put a name to this quote.)

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