Will to Live
What the Dying Teach Us About Staying Alive
My grandmother stayed with my mother for thirteen years before she died. She was a rich and rewarding presence for our entire family and for anyone who spent time with her. Even today, family members still quote her in conversation. She was an incredible and brave woman.
One morning she was up early, moving about the house and talking to herself. As I walked toward the kitchen, I could hear her knocking things off the table, saying aloud, “Why am I still here? Why am I still here?” At ninety years old, I didn’t fully understand what she meant. But after my own encounters with cancer and heart issues, I’m beginning to understand just how courageous she really was.
How is your will to live?
King Solomon once said, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). He wasn’t dismissing beginnings; he was honoring endurance. The true measure of life isn’t the excitement of starting, but the courage to stay with it. When a life is lived all the way through—patiently, honestly, and faithfully—it reveals something deeper and truer than enthusiasm ever could.
That’s why the wisdom of the dying carries such weight. They aren’t speculating. They’re finishing. And in doing so, they teach the rest of us how to stay alive.
Recently, I’ve been listening to a deeper voice—one that speaks from the edge of life itself. Hospice workers often say that those nearing the end are not merely dying; they are living. With clarity sharpened by limited time, perspective shifts. Fear loosens its grip. What matters rises. What doesn’t quietly falls away.
The prayer of the Psalmist feels especially close: “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Those who are finishing well are doing just that. They are living with the end in mind—and in doing so, they offer us the mature version of life. Not hurried. Not distracted. Not pretending. Just true.
Closing Blessing
May we learn before time forces the lesson.
May we choose presence over possession, gratitude over grasping, and people over things.
May we shift from I have to live to I get to live—not someday, but now.
And when our own evening comes, may it find us still living—
still loving, still listening, still giving—
until the very last breath.
How is your will to live—today?
Grace to you,
Cedric
Traditionalwriter@yahoo.com
My grandmother stayed with my mother for thirteen years before she died. She was a rich and rewarding presence for our entire family and for anyone who spent time with her. Even today, family members still quote her in conversation. She was an incredible and brave woman.
One morning she was up early, moving about the house and talking to herself. As I walked toward the kitchen, I could hear her knocking things off the table, saying aloud, “Why am I still here? Why am I still here?” At ninety years old, I didn’t fully understand what she meant. But after my own encounters with cancer and heart issues, I’m beginning to understand just how courageous she really was.
How is your will to live?
King Solomon once said, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8). He wasn’t dismissing beginnings; he was honoring endurance. The true measure of life isn’t the excitement of starting, but the courage to stay with it. When a life is lived all the way through—patiently, honestly, and faithfully—it reveals something deeper and truer than enthusiasm ever could.
That’s why the wisdom of the dying carries such weight. They aren’t speculating. They’re finishing. And in doing so, they teach the rest of us how to stay alive.
Recently, I’ve been listening to a deeper voice—one that speaks from the edge of life itself. Hospice workers often say that those nearing the end are not merely dying; they are living. With clarity sharpened by limited time, perspective shifts. Fear loosens its grip. What matters rises. What doesn’t quietly falls away.
The prayer of the Psalmist feels especially close: “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Those who are finishing well are doing just that. They are living with the end in mind—and in doing so, they offer us the mature version of life. Not hurried. Not distracted. Not pretending. Just true.
Closing Blessing
May we learn before time forces the lesson.
May we choose presence over possession, gratitude over grasping, and people over things.
May we shift from I have to live to I get to live—not someday, but now.
And when our own evening comes, may it find us still living—
still loving, still listening, still giving—
until the very last breath.
How is your will to live—today?
Grace to you,
Cedric
Traditionalwriter@yahoo.com
Recent
Archive
2026
January
One of the Best Things to Have in LifeGood New YorkerGood ShepherdCan I Be Angry?Bottom-Up & Top-DownDesire Reveals DesignOne of My Favorite Verses in the Old TestamentStanding or KneelingAre We Trapped in Privilege?Love That Refuses to Let GoSweet SpotThrone RoomBlinded and BlessedYou Can’t QuitNeed a Little Motivation?When Mercy Has the Last WordMercy Is Your Best DefenseThe Fight of FormationThe God Who Gives God AwayWhen God’s Time Meets Your TimeGod’s Overwhelming GenerosityTeach Us to Use Our Time WellSomething Is Wrong with EverythingGrace Is Easy to MissShow People Your Skills Before Your NeedsFailure Doesn’t Happen OvernightLonging for Things to Be Good Again?
February
God’s Overwhelming GenerosityLove Is Not LawlessWhat You Really Want from GodPlaying God?God Is Not Disappointed With YouGrace With GearsPlaying God?Will to LiveA God Who Pursues, Not PunishesGrace or Control? The Greatest Trap Isn't What You ThinkYour biggest fear might be your biggest opportunity CopyEnter God’s Rest — The Golden Key Rise Above the Basement VoicesGet Out of Grace’s WayPainful but Profitable
March
I Know You’re Hungry for SomethingHow Much Longer?I Know You’re Hungry for SomethingUse Your EdgeWhy Don’t People Finish Life Well?Get It DoneWhy Did This Happen to Me?Balcony or Basement People?Life Is Short. Live.Run Through the TapeThe Golden HourFinal Reflections from the RoadKeep It PositiveTrying to Make Sense of It All
April
2025
July
A God Who Pursues, Not PunishesStop Giving Yourself a PassWelcome to the Broken & Messy Christian ClubStitched Together ClothesGrace or Control?The Greatest Trap Isn't What You ThinkSurround Yourself with Good PeopleWhen Work Feels EmptyChristians Are a Mess—Before and AfterDidn't Have a Clue of What Grace WasGreat at Receiving Grace—but Poor at Giving It?Are You Standing in the Way of Grace?Still Playing the Old Game?A New Beginning Starts HereAfter SixtyJesus’ Rhythm: A Life Worth ImitatingDeserts: Where God Does His Deepest WorkSeeing the Whole Field: Trusting God in Suffering
Categories
no categories
1 Comment
Great message