For two and a half years I have been living with stage 4 cancer.  One of my majors in college was Philosophy and my favorite branch of that field was existentialism. Simply put, existentialism emphasizes that as we come to terms with our mortality, we discover our meaning for life. So now I am pressed to put into practise the esoteric major that was compelling so many years ago.

When first diagnosed, some would ask about what I’d still like to do in life. There are predictable “bucket list” ideas, often very self-centered indulgences  … and those aren’t all bad, Living to see if the Vikings could make it to the Super Bowl. or to watch all the Winter Olympics were good incentives to hang in there. I want to see the March Madness again, and spend some time up north. These are light-weight reasons to fight for life.

The most compelling reasons to fight for life, I’m discovering, are of a different kind. I want to be here this coming July for my son’s wedding – not so much for my sake as for his and his bride’s sake. I want to be here in July for our 40th wedding anniversary, not just for my sake, but for my wife’s. I want to live to share the joy if grandchildren should come – again, to make their joy filled with the love of family without one missing.

In short, I believe the most compelling reason to live, no matter what each person faces in life, is to embrace the notion that we live for the sake of others. The Bible is filled with this notion of being stewards. Embracing this reason for life becomes more compelling when faced with the predicament of our own mortality.