Do not quit living

Mark Batterson tells this fascinating story about Queen Victoria in his fine book, “Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More.” The queen was crowned in 1837 and ruled longer than any ruler before her: 63 years. Her name was eventually used to describe the period she lived in, the Victorian Age.

Shortly after being crowned, she fell in love with her first cousin, Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel. The couple were married on Feb. 10, 1840.

Here is how the queen’s diary described her wedding day: “I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!! My DEAREST, DEAREST DEAR Albert… his excessive love and affection gave me feelings of heavenly love and happiness… how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband!…”

Nine months later, Queen Victoria welcomed her first daughter, Princess Victoria. Though the queen did not enjoy being pregnant and thought newborns ugly, she eventually gave birth to nine children.

After 21 years of marriage, tragedy struck: her beloved husband contracted typhoid fever and died on Dec. 14, 1861. The queen was overcome with grief. She refused to accept his death, insisting the sheets on Prince Albert’s bed be changed nightly, a fresh set of clothes set out for him each morning, and that a basin of water be poured for his shave every morning.

These bizarre orders were carried out for her dead husband every morning for nearly 41 years, until Queen Victoria herself died on Jan. 22, 1901. It is unwise to minimize grief, but no one should quit living because someone they love is no longer with them.

Jesus once alluded to this by telling one of his followers, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60, NIV) At first glance, his words seem insensitive, but Jesus reminds us that grief is not a reason to quit living.

Tragically, Queen Victoria stopped living the day Prince Albert died, though she would not die for more than four decades. In Batterson’s book, he shared this observation, “When we fail to bury dead yesterdays, we aren’t doing a disservice just to ourselves. We’re cheating everyone we love, including God. Go ahead and give your dead yesterdays a eulogy. But once you do, let them rest in peace.”

What is preventing you from living as you should today? Do not let past grief, struggles or failures stop you from living your current life to the fullest. Learn from your good and bad experiences and allow God to use your past to prepare you to become all you can be in the years you are blessed to live.