Are You Ready for the Finish Line?
Friends! This week we’re going to broach a tough subject…BUT…we’ll do this together AND… we’ll glean pearls of wisdom from, can you guess? Oh yes, a BOOK…
Recently a friend came up to me and gave me the book we’re about to talk about. I took one look at the subtitle and thought to myself, “Oh boy, this is info’ we all NEED, but something we may not necessarily WANT to discuss….” (Professional procrastinator that I am…)
Checkout the cover:
FINISH LINE: Dispelling Fear, Finding Peace, and Preparing for the End of Your Life by Robert Wolgemuth
You can find more information on Robert and his wife, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth at www.reviveourhearts.com
I confess had I been in a bookstore, I may have looked at this book, but may not have necessarily purchased it. So, when my friend handed it to me, well, there I was. No excuse. Gulp. (Mea culpa, Robert.)
Once I dove in, I found the book easy to read. Robert’s in our camp, gently walking us along the path he recommends. He’s honest and real—while very funny. It’s a no-pressure, no-stress book. Suddenly you realize, “Ok, I need to listen to this guy.”
Quickly I was relaying most of the info’ to my better half, who in turn agreed we do not have all our ducks in a row per Robert’s suggestions. This book is an invaluable resource to help you with planning, oh dear, can we say it?….Planning for the end of your life, your funeral, and your finances to pass on to your family, etc.
Besides judging a book by its’ cover (I know we shouldn’t, but I do), I also consider who wrote the Foreword if there is one. And, get this: Joni Eareckson Tada wrote the Foreword for Robert’s book. (She’s always had my respect and admiration.)
Joni tells us she and Robert are very close friends, having been friends for decades. She says,
“I’ve never seen this man fritter away his time, treasure, or talents. He understands that life is an unspeakably precious gift, and as such, he stewards carefully the twenty-four-hour slices of time with which he has been blessed.”
Joni suggests we consider Robert our “close of life” coach for helping us finish the race well. She and Robert challenge us to be more deliberate about how we finish.
After going thru’ the deaths of both of my parents and then of my Father-in-law, John and I saw firsthand how important it is to prepare and alert your family to your wishes. We found ourselves scrambling to make decisions we wished our parents had done. Now we know we must do this to help our children when our time comes. (Being a devoted golfer, John will often say, “We’re on the back nine of life.”)
Our friends, Michael and Mary, have already chosen their tombstones, what will be written on them, their plots, etc. How sweet their children won’t have to worry with those details. John and I just kind of guessed at things to be put on my parents’ tombstones. That was NOT so keen…
Robert uses loads of pertinent Scripture throughout each chapter. He reinforces how we need not fear death. He discusses besetting fears. He relays acrophobia is his besetting fear which is the fear of heights. Others truly fear death. Anyone want to tackle this word? Try thanatophobia. Fear of death can be debilitating.
Robert reminds us, “If we put our faith in Jesus Christ and embrace the good news of the Gospel for ourselves before this inevitable death, we will live forever. That’s God’s promise.” Later he adds, “If I didn’t know that death would bring me face-to-face with a holy God who will judge me appropriately, I might not be as eager to prepare.”
Chapter Two, Spoiler Alert…Heaven Can Be Yours, is loaded with reassurances for us about Heaven. Some we may already be familiar with, but some were new to me, including beautiful thoughts from author Randy Alcorn and Joni, plus an end-of-life story of a man and what he saw just moments before he died. Robert says, “People who knew the wonder of God’s grace in their own lives, standing on the threshold of eternity, seeing Heaven for themselves…It’s quite amazing, isn’t it?” Don’t miss this!
We’re reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul,
Rob Moll, who wrote The Art of Dying (and he died a very early death at age 41) said,
We keep hearing of friends getting not-so-great diagnoses, friends dying seemingly early deaths, etc., so we must endeavor that much more to live intentionally. Robert includes words from friends who’ve lost loved ones—some are terribly sad scenarios, and yet the hope of Heaven is what sustains them.
Chapter 5, Temple Care,, opens with a thought-provoking quote by Kevin DeYoung:
I love Chapter 5 because Robert broaches aging gracefully. Some mornings I need a lot more grace/strength/stamina, and oh, how I could go on and on…
The TSA folks at the airport find it comical that both John and I have to go thru’ a different metal detector because of our new hips and knees. (We sure didn’t see that comin’ while standing at the altar thirty-nine years ago!)
It’s no wonder our “parts” become challenged over the years. Let’s consider these mind-blowing facts:
Robert informs us our body, or house, or temple (as the Bible says) contains:
“206 - 213 bones (depending on how you count your vertebrae)”
“360 joints” (Oh, Mr. Tin Man, may we borrow your oil?)
“640 muscles” (Charley horses are not my friends for our calves and any other muscles they might attack. I realize we need to be weight training our muscles as we age or we won’t be able to pick up those grand angels, among other daily to-do’s.)
“15 feet of intestines” (HOW can they all be crammed in our stomachs when we’re only anywhere from 4-6 or so feet tall???)
“60 thousand miles of blood vessels”
“90 thousand miles of nerves” (One argument for not saying, “You’re getting on my last nerve!” No way could 90 thousand miles of your nerves be getting stepped on!!!)
Robert strongly suggests we find a good doctor in whom we trust and can confide in—one who would help us care for our temple. Obviously to have a Christian doctor would be the best-case scenario.
A friend of ours, who has a premature granddaughter, learned her grand baby’s doctor is a Christian. Every time he leaves the NICU, he stops by each crib and prays for the babies. What comfort!
In addition to a competent doctor, later in the book Robert strongly suggests making sure you have a trustworthy attorney, a qualified accountant, and a financial planner. Robert adds, regarding these priceless people,
Oh my….Yes, this is tough stuff, but oh-so-good-for-us stuff!!! (He gets to your real pallbearers in Chapter 8.)
Chapter 7, Saying Grace, is my favorite because it’s all about blessing your loved ones. We’re reminded of Gary Smalley and John Trent’s book, The Blessing. You’ll get to see how Robert blessed his children and grandchildren and gain ideas on how to bless your own. (See pages 121-125.)
So let’s go back to the game of golf. Remember my John saying, “We’re on the back nine of life…”, alluding to finishing not just the game of golf, but the game of life? One thing he got to mark off of his bucket list this year was to attend a much-coveted trip to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. He and Gordy and Woody got to attend Thursday’s round:
In the Epilogue, Robert also parallels our lives to the game of golf. While not an avid golfer, he admits to knowing enough about golf to be dangerous, and being grateful if he breaks 100.
He strongly suggests we be equipped to play “ready golf”— He says,
“Be confidently ready, not panic-stricken as if waltzing in to a pop quiz.”
Don’t miss the stories of many who’ve gone before us, one of whom always signed his letters and told whoever would listen, “Keep looking up.”
Are you ready?
‘Til next time!
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