We had a memorial service at our church last weekend and as I heard this woman described as joyful servant, over and over and over again, I couldn’t help but wonder about the day you all gather to remember me, what will you say?

Is this to morbid for the Saturday after Christmas?

Christmas is about life and the life of Our Savior that came to take away the sins of the world(through His sacrifice and death).  Its a good time to take an accounting of your beliefs and maybe for some to make first steps of faith toward Emmanuel, God with us, Lord of Lord and King of Kings, as you realize that life is short and temporary and that you were made for Eternity. Christmas is about hope and new life for us all!

But, the New Year is coming and that’s a great time to take stock of your life.  Look at whats working well and assess whats broken.  Its a time to evaluate past choices and plan for future decisions.  It’s a great time to ask “What will they say?”.  Because although the new year is upon us, you are not guaranteed breath in the next minute.  God is the author of your life, whether you believe in Him or not.  He created you, He owns you and He gives breath and takes it away.  It’s His, it’s not promised, your days and years and minutes depend upon His mercy and grace.

So, the question “What will they say?” seems timely to me.  I’ve walked with Jesus for almost 29 years.  I remember the day my childhood religion turned into a heart set on Jesus.  I haven’t done this thing perfectly but God has perfectly, in His sovereignty, allowed me breath and life and time to learn about Him and walk closer toward His eternity each moment. Taking the time to contemplate “What will they say?”, allows me to sort out my priorities, to align my heart with His and to make sure I’m making Jesus famous by reflecting Him.

On that day, when you all gather, I hope you say she loved Jesus. I hope you say she loved people (all of them).  I hope that my life is defined by faith and trust in God.  I hope that you’ll be able to say she was kind and thoughtful, that she wanted others to feel loved and accepted.  I hope that you would say her focus was on living with an eternal perspective that transcended the crap of this world and somehow brought the light of Christ into crisis and hard times and hang-ups. I hope you would look at my life and see that I’m determined to bend my heart toward the things of God and that even through my brokenness, you might see a flicker of light that is attractive and as you look closer it leads you to the Light of the World, where you to find hope!

As we wrap up 2019 are you brave enough to ask yourself the questions “what will they say?”.  Can you take courage and look toward making the next right choice?  You may have screwed up 2019 but today is a new day and you can end it well.  You can trust God a little more, you can love people with more gusto then yesterday, you can use this breath you’ve been given in this moment to whisper a prayer that says “I’m yours Jesus, lets do this” and then with a big breath in and head lifted high….go and live the life you want them to talk about!