Obituaries.

One of the most popular sections of the newspaper is the obituaries.  Friends of mine scour the obits, collecting nicknames.  “Oh, look at this name: Booboo Eddie! I love that!” I’ve also heard: Bingo Willie, Rookie Amtrak, Sugar Foot, and Momma Peaches.

But an obituary is so much more.  It is a chance to sum up a life, to capture in a short essay the essence of who a person was and how they lived.  An obituary includes the basic biography—birth, death, career, family, and hobbies—but also gives you a sense of personality: their sense of humor, passions, and what their life was really about.

Fred Gessner used to have his high school students draft their OWN obituaries in English class.  What would yours include?  What do you hope to accomplish? What have you done that has eternal consequences?  Have you stored up treasure in heaven?  How will you be rewarded when you arrive? 

Do these questions seem odd or morbid in some way?  The truth is, although several parents of Gessner’s students complained, the Bible says it is good to think about these things.

“It is better to go to a house of mourning than one of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man. The living should take this to heart” Ecclesiastes 7:2.

“Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am. You indeed have made my days short in length, and my life span is as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal is only a vapor. Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they frantically rush about in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them” Psalm 39:4-6.

WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO SAY ABOUT YOU WHEN YOU DIE?  FOR WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?

I think about that every day.  It influences all my choices.

“Lord, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:12.

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