Attending your own funeral

What do you hope people will say about you after you die?

There is nothing more challenging as a human than keeping your priorities straight. And when we get them out of line, it ends up devastating us. I’m sure we can all think of times in our lives where we have really put our priorities in the wrong order.

There is a way to help keep our priorities in check. We need to attend our own funeral. Listen to what God says in Ecclesiastes 7:2,

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.

In other words, sometimes we need to be reminded that one day we're all going to die. So let’s go to your funeral.

What will they think?

Imagine you see yourself as an old person laying in your open casket at the front of the church.

First, each member of your family comes up. If you’re young like me, let’s pretend it’s your future spouse, son and daughter. What are they saying or feeling on that day?

Then your friends follow up to take a moment of silence. What are they thinking as they hover over your casket? What moments are they going back to?

What will they say?

The service starts. The minister asks if anyone would say a few words about you. Who is going to raise their hand? What did they notice while you were on earth? What story or memory do you hope they’d share?

As the service ends, the minister asks all those who were impacted by your life to stand up so that the crowd can see what God did through your obedience. Who is standing up? What exactly was the impact you had on them?

Wouldn't it be great if they said "this guy really had his priorities sorted out. He always put Jesus first, and his love for God was the most important thing in his life. That's what I remember most."