The Summit
The Bucket List. A movie about two men who are diagnosed with cancer. Carter, a knowledgeable mechanic, who has worked his entire life for his family to never want, is played by Morgan Freeman. Jack Nicholson plays a cranky, old, unfathomably rich hospital executive, Edward. While in the hospital the two become friends and both are told they are going to soon die.When Carter was in high-school he created a bucket list (things to do before you “kick the bucket”). As a sentimental thing he recreates that list. He then realizes that he has no time to do any of them. The next morning Edward offers Carter the opportunity of a lifetime.Edward tells Carter that they should go out with a bang. The two set off to live more in their last year than they ever have before.
At one point in the movie Carter states that in a survey 94% of people said that they would not like to the time of their death. Carter and Edward had that knowledge forced on them. Carter always seemed to think he would like to know; he thought it would be liberating. I believe it would be a burden to know. You would have to realize that you were never going to do something that you wanted to or even needed to.
Romans 13:11-12
Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don’t live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light.
We as Christians also have a type of “cancer.” Sin is a cancer. It kills everything it comes in contact with. As followers of Christ we need to understand that we do not know how long we have. “Time is running out,” the verse says. I know that I have only one more year to impact the lives’ of the people in my school and my youth group. Our Creator has given us only a small period to minister to His people on earth. We must recognize the most important things in life and be people of substance. To be of substance is an idea that has continually come up in my life recently. I want to be something in His kingdom, even if that means being nothing on the earth.
During the course of the movie, Edward and Cole began to bond and revel different parts of themselves to the other. As the year is winding down the two go to Mt. Everest. They were going to climb to the summit but storms did not allow them to. They then agree to next spring come to try again. Over that winter Edward and Carter both pass away. Edward’s assistant Thomas, following the wills of the two, take their ashes to the summit of Mt. Everest and bury them. While they did not make it to the summit while they were alive, they did achieve their final goal.
We will never make it to the summit on our own. We have to do our best to minister to those around us and worship God. In the end if we finish the race, God will take us to the summit.
Maybe we don’t know our “experation” date… But we do atleast know
that our days are numbered. We begin to die. I guess with our lives being
short already (compared to eternity) God’s will ought to be our minimal goal.
Right?
I think He ought to be our Maximum goal. He is the only real thing that truly matters. After we are dead, Heaven and Hell are the only two things are going to matter. So basically we pick now ourselves, or later someone chooses Hell for us. Inaction is still an action.