We’re all day to day

“Success leaves footprints while failure leaves chalked out bodies.”

Okay, it might not be the most profound saying you’ve ever heard, or you may not understand it. (Hint, remember those crime dramas on TV.) But when I heard it this week on a sports talk show on ESPN concerning the NFL draft, I did think it was pretty good. But it’s not my favorite saying from sports TV.

“He’s listed as day to day, but aren’t we all.”

The above is my favorite line from several years ago from that deep, philosophical television series, ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” For the sport uneducated, “SportsCenter” is ESPN’s daily sports wrap-up program. The program anchors report all the scores, highlights and sports news.

One of the many things reported will be the status of injured players. If a player was not seriously hurt, he might be able to play the next day or very soon, depending on how fast he improves. To explain this uncertain status, the sports desk anchor would say that the player “is listed day to day.” Eventually one of the anchors, trying to be witty, added “but aren’t we all.” And a deep, philosophical, theological statement was born.

“He’s listed as day to day, but aren’t we all.”

Thursday, CNBC aired an interview with Dan Doctoroff, the former Deputy Mayor of New York City, who served under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Doctoroff is credited with bringing forth the transformation of the landscape of New York skyline. But Doctoroff was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and is now confined to a wheelchair and has trouble communicating as the ALS progresses.

In the interview, Doctoroff said prior to his ALS diagnosis, “I was always future focused, and now I live day to day.”

He continued, “Since I was diagnosed, what I discovered, facing this fatal disease, that there are only two things in life that matter, relationships and having a purpose.” His purpose now is finding a cure for ALS, as he heads a foundation raising money for research. Doctoroff knows he probably will never receive that cure, but he hopes it will be there in the future for those who come after him.

Let’s face it. Most of us don’t think that today or tomorrow could be our last day here on earth. And that’s good. It sure would be a depressing, scary place if we thought that way. But the truth is, today or tomorrow could be that day. In other words, we’re all day to day. So, if life is just day to day, what do you do?

First, make the most out of this day. In the Bible, Psalm 118:24 states, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” God has given us today. Let’s enjoy it, thank Him for it and make the most of it.

Second, realize that while you may be “day to day,” you may still have many more days. Are you prepared physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually for the long haul? Are you going to be able to “rejoice and be glad in it,” if the days become long and difficult?

Finally, are you prepared for what happens after that final day? The message of the recent Easter season is that you can be prepared because of Jesus’ death on the cross. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Am I saying we need to live like you or I could die today, or thirty years from now? Yep, you got it. It’s a matter of preparation and decision. Because, like the guys on “SportsCenter” say, and Dan Doctoroff knows, we’re all day to day.