Several weeks ago I attended the funeral of a family friend. As I sat there listening to the preacher honor her, my heart sank looking around the room. Less than 40 people showed up.
I looked at the pictures her family had pasted to the whiteboards standing around the room. She was smiling, of course. Each photograph portrayed beautiful memories of a life well lived – dancing, bowling, cooking, posing with grandkids and great-grandkids.
I knew there was no doubt a period of happiness in her life, those pictures proof of a joy-filled time in her life. But what I remembered about her wasn’t that season of her life. I remembered the bitter, broken heart that often spewed venomous words. As I looked at the pictures again I found myself wishing I could remember the happy memories.
She died at home with her family surrounding her – what a gift that was I can imagine – knowing she wasn’t alone. But I have to wonder how alone she really was when she took those final breaths on this earth. How many regrets did she have? How many amends did she wish she would’ve made? Did she wonder what she could’ve done differently with her life?
Her funeral has me taking a deeper look at my own life.
When I die, will there be more than 30 people at my funeral? I type that and wonder if it’s a selfish question, so I check my motives and God reminds me that my heart is right in asking the question.
At the end of my life, as people attend my funeral, these are the words I hope are spoken:
“She made we want to know more about Jesus.”
My heart’s desire is that my actions in this short time on earth was a walking testimony of the love of God for others.
Life isn’t about our happiness.
A family member stood up to honor our friend and she said, “I remember her doing what she wanted to make herself happy. That’s what her life was about, doing what she wanted. That’s the way we should all live, doing what makes us happy.”
My stomach cringed as she spoke. I wanted to speak up. My heart was screaming, “No! That’s not it at all. That’s not what this life is about. Life isn’t about you.” I wanted to hug her. I wanted to ask, “Where is Jesus in all of this?” But I sat silent in my tears, broken-hearted for my friend. Broken hearted for her family. And I prayed under my breath, “God, draw them to you.”
What is your life score?
I’m still young and I have a lot of life left in me I hope. But I never want to take that for granted, because I never know when God will take me to hang out with Him for eternity.
When I get to the end of my life, I want to be an empty salt shaker, having given those around me a deeper thirst for Christ like my friend Gary Smalley did.
What about you?
When is the last time you took an assessment of your life? Are you living the life God has designed for you? Are you living a life filled with joy or despair? Are you leaving those around you thirsty for more?
When your life ends who will be at your funeral?
My friend and mentor Michael Hyatt is offering a free LifeScore™ Assessment, where you can clarify what’s working in your life and what’s not.
I just took it and scored a 79. I’m in a good spot, but I want to be better. I want my health in a better place. I want stronger relationships. I want to be all God wants me to be in leading Esther’s House.
I want to live the life that matters most – not the one that just makes me happy. What about you?
Once you discover your LifeScore,™ you can quickly see opportunities for growth and what is working well. If you take it quarterly, you have a built-in way to measure your growth over time and stay motivated toward what matters most to you!
[ctt template=”5″ link=”ePcrb” via=”yes” ]I want to live the life that matters most – not the one that just makes me happy. [/ctt]