I like playing Roulette. It is a fun game for me. I don’t usually bet much money, because for me, gambling or betting is just about entertainment. It’s a distraction. Like going to a movie or reading a book or listening to a song. It’s just a way to spend free time. It isn’t an investment or a way to make a living. There are very few people who can make a living by sports gambling or by playing poker. It’s just not a good retirement plan.
The thing I came to realize as I was thinking about Covid and research into my next book on the topic of pain and suffering is that each and every one of us is making a bet right now. We may not even realize it, but we really are. We can look at two of our most valuable possessions, time and money and we can get an idea that we are “betting” both on whatever we are focused on. We just don’t spend too much time pondering the concept.
If you don’t like the idea of betting, you can say you are “investing” time and money at this very moment into something you perceive to have value. It doesn’t matter who you are or how much time or money you are investing, you are still investing. We all spend time and money on what we deem to be valuable.
You may be totally focused on getting an education, like a college student. That is a really smart investment. You could be focusing all your time and money on raising your family which is another good investment. You could be working and saving for retirement, which is important because we may not be able to work to support ourselves in our 70s or 80s or 90s. These are all good, solid goals that many of us share. Wise people invest in their financial security, education, health or families. All worthwhile and solid goals.
Betting and Regretting
Daniel Pink in his latest book came to the conclusion that as we get older, the most common things we regret are what he calls, foundational regrets. From surveys and research studies, it was found that these are the most common regrets people have when they reach the age where we are too old to do something about them. When it comes to valuable lessons for our young people, I would venture to say that this idea has utility and is practical. Foundational regrets include,
- Financial regrets: (not saving enough or investing wisely enough for our later years)
- Educational regrets: (very few people say “I wish I would have gotten less education”. As a matter of fact, its pretty much unheard of
- Health regrets: (not paying attention to good healthy habits like diet, exercise and avoiding bad habits like smoking or excessive drinking)
(Daniel Pink, The Power of Regret: How looking backward moves us forward)
What Daniel Pink is arguing is that if you have a good education, a sound financial plan and you take care of your health, you pretty much have a solid sturdy foundation to build a productive and meaningful life.
From my own perspective, when it comes to faith, meaning, purpose and true authenticity, these come from the recognition of identity and responsibility. These come about when we have a good grasp of who we are and what we were created to be and do. In addition, to fulfill purpose and find meaning, there is a requirement of accepting responsibility. This is huge.
But to get there, we’ve got to start with Truth.
Investing in Truth
When we are all betting our lives and spending our time and money on whatever we think is important. We are betting on “our truth”, which is okay if it lines up the “THE TRUTH”. But what is THE TRUTH ?
Well, Jesus told us in His Word that he is THE TRUTH. We can believe HIM or we can come up with another truth.
How do we know that “our truth” is worth our time and money?
I would have to argue that this kind of question is going to require something called DUE DILIGENCE.
What does that mean ? Here is the Merriam Webster definition,
Due diligence has been used since at least the mid-fifteenth century in the literal sense “requisite effort.” Centuries later, the phrase developed a legal meaning, namely, “the care that a reasonable person takes to avoid harm to other persons or their property”; in this sense, it is synonymous with another legal term …
This is a very interesting definition. If you look first at the mid-fifteenth century definition, “requisite effort” gives us a simple,but clear idea what due diligence means. It involves effort. Effort that is required.
Required for what? I would argue the effort required to discover the Truth. Truth has value.
Now notice that the definition is expanded to say the “care” that a “reasonable” person takes to “avoid harm” to other persons or their property. Maybe we can project that onto ourselves and say that we “take care” to avoid harm to ourselves or our family members. We’re interested in that aren’t we ?
As I have mentioned many times, the first place to find Truth is in God’s Word. I would start in the Bible.
Studying the Word, is never a waste of time. We absolutely need guidance.
Why Do We Need Guidance Every Day ? Because Our Judgement Sucks
Near Death Experiences, Spiritual Guidance ?
When it comes to Due Diligence, we start with the Word. That is our best source for wisdom and guidance. When it comes to Near Death Experiences, I believe they are sources for Spiritual Guidance that you can’t find anywhere else.
I also believe that Near Death Experiences are helpful because they point out ideas that are
1. unique
2. practical or useful
3. helpful in allowing us to see behaviors or habits that can be dangerous or harmful to ourselves or our families
Why Study Near Death Experiences ? (What Happens When We Die)
They serve as a powerful force for spiritual guidance and they help remind us about what is important in this life and what isn’t.
In Kenneth Ring’s book, Lessons From the Light, he argues that people don’t need to have a near-death experience to gain the benefits of having one. Look at this list below of the positive benefits that people gain after undergoing a near-death experience,
Here is an excerpt from my book Brave the Wave,
True light is from Jesus and the truth that he speaks. He shows us values that are higher and above what the world values. The same values that the majority of NDErs talk about and tend to gravitate toward after their experiences. True light.
After near-death experiences, many people have major life changes in the areas listed here:[i]
- appreciation for life—increased sense of gratitude
- self-acceptance—greater self-worth and self-acceptance
- concern for others (the most striking and consistent change)
- reverence for life—appreciation for the planet and nature
- antimaterialism—acquisition of things seen as pointless and empty
- anticompetitiveness—impressing others not important
- spirituality—a more universal sense of the spiritual
- greater quest and thirst for knowledge
- sense of purpose—more meaning and sacred purpose in life (purpose protects, guides, allows us to fulfill our potential)
- the disappearance of any fear of death—such fear completely gone
- certainty of life after death
- belief in God—deep inner certitude that God exists
[i] Ring, Lessons from the Light, 124-125.
From my own experience and by studying these ideas, I can confidently say that a growing, thriving, relationship with Jesus gives us a deeper sense and appreciation for each and every one of the attributes listed above.
Even if we have never had a near-death experience. It is an example of “living above the world.” Just like Jesus taught.
Notice that the top three changes have to do with the very reason we are here. We have a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what Jesus has done for us and we recognize our own value because of the magnitude of his sacrifice for us. We learn to love and value ourselves which allows us to love and value others.
The closer we get to Jesus, the more power, peace and hope we have and the less our love for the world and the things of the world. Jesus said,
The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.
John 15:19 NLT
One of the most reliable indicators that you are coming up out of the world, is that you see less value in the things of the world and you can readily see the lies that the world engages in every day. Remember that Satan is the father of lies and God allows him to roam the earth.
When it comes to value, investing, regrets and betting, focusing on the above list, especially when it comes to loving God and loving others, brings a tremendous amount of value into your life that will impact others. We know that this is tough, because only about 1 % of the population is getting there. That doesn’t mean we should stop trying.
Sharing the Good News
I’m a physician and I can tell you that as an emergency room physician, I have saved people’s lives, but what kind of lasting impact does that have? Especially if the person has no faith in Jesus or is spending the majority of their time on worldly goals?
Having an impact on someone’s eternity is way more valuable. As believers, it is also what we are all called to do.
Below is a powerful sermon by Pastor John Piper. He is my go to guy when it comes to bible commentary and exegesis.
The title grabs your attention, “Better to Lose Your Life than Waste it.” We are all going about our lives doing our errands and trying to survive and take care of our responsibilities, we don’t want to lose our lives. Right? But what John Piper is saying is that there is something worse than losing your life. Wasting your life.
The one thing that each of us wants to avoid at all costs is that we don’t ever want to waste our lives.
But then he goes on to tell us the best way to add value and worth to our lives. It’s focus is on Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
There is nothing more valuable that you can do with your time than this, share the truth and testify to the good news about the love, mercy and grace of God and Jesus for each and every one of us.
If you spend time, money and effort on this one task, you know that you will never waste it.
Your Brother in Christ
Johnny Cavazos MD
PS,
If you are having persistent symptoms after suffering from a bout of Covid, you can learn more here,
or here