The Final Post


In a sense, Derek Miller blogged from his grave.

 Hailed by the Associated Press as “one of the best known bloggers in British Columbia”, Derek died of complications from stage 4 colorectal cancer last May 3, 2011. He was 41, just a year after crossing that point in life where life is said to begin.

Screenshot of Derek Miller's blog
His final entry, which appeared a day after he died, began this way: “Here it is. I’m dead, and this is my last post to my blog. In advance, I asked that once my body finally shut down from the punishments of my cancer, then my family and friends publish this prepared message I wrote—the first part of the process of turning this from an active website to an archive.” (Source: http://www.penmachine.com/) His post-mortem blog went viral and had an estimated 8 million hits, causing the site to crash. 

Derek wondered about what Airdrie, his wife of 16 years, and his two teenage daughters would be doing after his death. “There can’t be answers today. While I was still alive writing this, I was sad to know I’ll miss these things—not because I won’t be able to witness them, but because Air, Marina, and Lauren won’t have me there to support their efforts.” (Ibid)

 Derek went on to share life lessons that only a dying person could come up with. “I’ve come to realize that, at any time, I can lament what I will never know, yet still not regret what got me where I am… It turns out that no one can imagine what's really coming in our lives. We can plan, and do what we enjoy, but we can’t expect our plans to work out. Some of them might, while most probably won't. Inventions and ideas will appear, and events will occur, that we could never foresee. That's neither bad nor good, but it is real.” (Ibid)

 That’s why Derek encouraged his family to give life their best shot, that “they should pursue what they enjoy, and what stimulates their minds, as much as possible—so they can be ready for opportunities, as well as not disappointed when things go sideways, as they inevitably do.” (Ibid) 
Background image from: http://wishfulangels.com/
Reading this reminds me of James 4:14-15: “What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. You should say, ‘If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things.’” (CEV) We enjoy less of life when we try to live it without God. But when we live our lives for God, then we live lives that matter. In the end, I pray that we would rejoice we obeyed God and not regret it at all.

My take? “If the Lord lets us live,” live life to the full for God.

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