Dahl and I are leaving El Salvador in a couple of hours. We enjoyed our time here–meeting with colleagues, getting to know new friends and simply doing the usual tourist stuff. Preaching and teaching in Spanish had been tough but people have been very affirming. Personally, I feel that my proficiency in Spanish increased so much during our 8-day stay here. I certainly hope we could visit El Salvador again.
However, I still shudder when I think about how barely we escaped an accident last Saturday night. Driving at full speed, Daniel did not see that the SUV in front of us had slammed his brakes. If I didn’t warn him, we would have crashed into it. Who knows what would have happened to the six of us in our compact Hyundai and those in the SUV! We missed it by one or two feet!
Situations like this force me to reflect on the brevity of life. There are still so many good things I want to do but with so little time to do them. For example, I want to live to see the fulfillment of Wycliffe’s Vision 2025–By the year 2025, a Bible translation project would be in progress in every language that needs it.
But I don’t have any assurance that I would live until 2025 or even up to tomorrow, for that matter. I will plan for the future, do my best to do what I can today, and rest on God’s sovereign grace to give the opportunity to live one more day.
If you and I crashed into that SUV last Saturday, and we died, could you say before God–“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4 NIV)? On the other hand, if God gives you another day to live, are you ready to do the work he has given you?
Clear intentions 
When we lived in another city (not where we live now) some friends were discussing their wealth and how their stocks were doing. Tom listened quietly. One person turned and said to him, “Tom, you chose meaning. We chose money.” Today we are thankful beyond measure for how God has led us for several decades. We feel so rich and thankful. The greatest gift is that we have no regrets. It is awesome to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. Notice I didn’t say ‘perfectly’. We are not perfect. But we surely do want Jesus.