Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to talk about bucket lists.
buck·et list
noun
informal
- a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.
verb informal
to maintain and actively attempt to fulfill items on a bucket list
People have different opinions regarding bucket lists. One of my friends bucket lists prodigiously; he adds things to the list on a regular basis and is better than most people at actually getting them done. The last item he added was participating in the ongoing nighttime massacre of the invasive opossums that are destroying New Zealand's ecosystem. (Yes, this is really a thing, and frankly it sounds like a worthy cause. Forget Sauron. WE MUST SAVE THE SHIRE FROM THE OPOSSUMS.)
Another friend of mine does not see the point in keeping a bucket list. His thought is, "Why the rush to do awesome things on THIS side of eternity?" I suppose I see his point. Most secular people keep bucket lists in a sense of desperation, I expect. They don't have the hope of eternity, and so for them, this life is it. They've got to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro before they die because they aren't going to get a chance to do it afterwards. With Patrick the Starfish, they bellow, "I'LL TAKE IT EASY WHEN I'M DEAD."
And yet there are Christians who keep bucket lists, too. I'm one of them. For starters, I've got this hankering to see Aurora Borealis. So what if it's the old earth version of Aurora Borealis? It's still beautiful, right now, right here, today. As King David said, "The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork." The heavens DECLARE, he wrote, present tense: they're declaring God's glory right now.
I think that it's great that Christians have a desire to experience and enjoy this world God created in ways that resonate for them in particular. But here's the thing: I wouldn't want to go see Aurora Borealis at the expense of forsaking God's plan for my life.
That's always the ticket, isn't it? Instead of declaring legalistically that CHRISTIANS SHOULDN'T KEEP BUCKET LISTS or CHRISTIANS SHOULD KEEP BUCKET LISTS, I'll just say this: I think you should do what God is calling you to do. If God is calling you to massacre opossums in New Zealand, go for it. If God is calling you to go see Aurora Borealis in Norway, do it! Lord willing, I'll see you there. And for those of you who DO have bucket lists ... what's on them??? Me wants to know. Post your answers in the comment box below :).
I WANNA SEE AURORA BOREALIS.
ReplyDelete#bucketlistbuddies
FISTBUMP.
DeleteThanks for this post! I need to out some things on my list!
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Thanks for reading! :D
DeleteAwesome stuff! I think it's important to keep a bucket list if you don't want to be square... JK! XD I do however believe that humans should do things that scare them a little bit. It broadens one's horizons. Half of the stuff on my bucket list involves exploring and experiencing things that show the raw natural power of the earth that God created. When i'm there, I feel the Lord in a different way. It's like he is showing me things. Like he's showing off! I just can't ignore that.
ReplyDeleteAmen to people doing things that scare them! 8D
DeleteYes. God calls us to step out of our comfort zones.
DeleteIt would be like not ever looking at an artists paintings because you know they will be better when the artist is older.
ReplyDeleteEggsactly.
DeleteI less have a bucket list, than a bucket self....
ReplyDeleteLol. Yes, I'd agree.
DeleteI once went to a church where the pastor was actually giving a sermon about bucket lists. It was pretty long but the gist of it was that most bucket lists are inherently selfish but a bucket list with things like, "Help a homeless person" or "Say kind things to complete strangers" is a good idea. I don't completely agree with him but I do notice that bucket lists tend to be filled with "me, me, me. I want, I want, I want!". It is important to do a few things for fun because, like Luke says, there is something awesome about God's creation and we should take the time to appreciate it. Again though, we've got to be wary of being sucked into the "things of this world".
ReplyDeleteYes, I have a bucket list. It includes things like, "visit France", "learn multiple languages", and "write a book someday".
Right. The point is not to live a life full of things that I want, but full of things that God wants.
DeleteXD You alREADY know multiple languages, David. How many more do you want to learn? You should definitely write that book :).
My list of languages I want to learn someday is: 1) French 2) Spanish 3) Cantonese 4) Italian 5) Danish 6) Portuguese 7) German 8) Russian 9) Vietnamese 10) Japanese and 11) Arabic (in roughly that order). Language study is a fascinating window into different cultures. That what makes it fun for me and why "learning multiple languages" is on my bucket list.
DeleteAwesome! Although I'm baffled that Russian is number NINE on the list and German is number EIGHT. XD.
DeleteThey're ordered by how easy it will be to learn them. German and Russian are more difficult to learn than French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, and Portuguese (for English speakers). Cantonese is harder but not if you get a lot of exposure to it (like by living in GuangZhou where everyone speaks Cantonese).
DeleteAh, I see! Makes sense :).
DeleteYeah, those are perfect things to have on a bucket list. Stuff like earn a lot of money, and have a Maserati not so much. A lot of "visit items" yeaahh thats where it's at.
ReplyDeleteI don't think bucket lists are either inherently evil or inherently good, like you say. As for me, I don't really have a bucket list... Don't need one with the life I live. XD But if I were going to make one, it would include silly, adrenaline inducing things, like skydiving and swimming with sharks.
ReplyDeleteGotta love adrenaline.
Delete1. SKYDIVING!! 8D
ReplyDelete2. Learn the art of glassblowing
3. Swim with dolphins
4. Visit the Shire (actually exists! It's in New Zealand, I believe)
5. Train velociraptors (go big or go home, cummon)
6. Learn to juggle
I like bucket lists. They're a fun way to challenge yourself to try new experiences. :D
Glassblowing, gurl, is SO. MUCH. FUNNNNN. Molten glass is the greatest substance in the world after chocolate and peanut butter.
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DeleteJust wanted to say that you could definitely learn to juggle really quickly and it's lots of fun! Number 5 might be a little bit harder though...
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