Scissortail Hospice Chaplain Bristow, Oklahoma ONHL Hospice Chaplain Drumright, Oklahoma
What will people say when I’m gone? Another good question, “Are you planning with the end in mind?” Now don’t misunderstand me, I have no plans to take the elevator up to the top any time soon, mind you, but I’m just spinning and swirling towards the eight decade mark at such a dizzying speed that I know my life on this Earth will be up before I know it. God’s Word says this in James 4: 14, “…What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
I know it can be a downer to think about coming to the end of this life’s road, but as ol’ Ben Franklin said, “…in the world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” The Poet Linda Ellis’ well-known poem, THE DASH, comes to mind when I think about how I want my obituary to read. The poem is about how you lived your life, represented by the dash between your birth and death dates. The final stanza says: “So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash? (You can read the whole poem at www.lindalyrics.
com .) Let’s pretend that I’m your English teacher in high school and all of you reading this article are my students. Here is my assignment for you to turn in next week: write out your obituary in one hundred to one hundred and fifty words. Get your pen and paper, or power up your PC, and have fun writing it out! If the idea makes you uncomfortable, or even fearful, remember that the most effective plans start with the end in mind. After all, you have to know where you want to go in order to devise the best plan to get there, right?
As for me, I’d like my obituary to say that I was a genuine lover of Jesus Christ, family, friends and humanity, and that I was never ashamed of Christ Jesus as I interacted with whomever I came in contact with. That the words of my mouth and my meditations of my heart build up others rather than tear them down. That my gifts of speaking, writing and sense of humor were used to glorify God, and my passion for helping people was evident in the fruit of my life. I’d like it to conclude with the idea that I spent my time loving God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength, and my neighbor as myself.
Hmmm. Boy, do I have a looong way to go if those things are truly to be said about me when I’m gone. Sigh. I could easily beat myself up for my shortcomings, but I know that I am an imperfect human, a work in progress and that “…He who began a good work in (me) will carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1: 6).
So I must be willing to grow and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ on a daily basis, even though I have a tendency to give up when life gets difficult. This reminds me of a cartoon that I once saw. It showed a huge water bird that had swallowed a frog, and the frog’s webbed “hands” reached out of its captor’s beak to firmly encircle the bird’s neck, making it impossible to swallow. The caption said, “Never,ever,giveup!” Now that’s not giving up when things look totally hopeless.
The falling down and the getting back up march towards reflecting the wonderful love relationship that I have with the Lord and others may seem impossible, because I know full well human perfection is unattainable. There simply is no way to achieve it (Isaiah 64: 6 & Romans 3:23). But before we thoroughly lose heart here, there are two small words that can bring the bright light of hope and internal peace back into the picture. And those words are “grace and mercy.”
God says that we cannot save ourselves, no matter how hard we try. Salvation (an obituary acceptable in God’s eyes) is HIS gift to those who will simply trust and humbly accept HIS Son in obedient faith (Ephesians 2: 8-9; Titus 3: 5 ; Hebrews 11: 6). It's comforting to know that if people ask me, “Why are you smiling?” I can say “my obituary”—and I can say it with a big grin on my face.
John T. Catett, III 306 North Main Street, Suite E Bristow, OK 74010 918.352.3080