Reading Your Own Obituary!

Like many of you I get up every morning, make my coffee and pick up the morning paper, usually glancing at the obituaries. Here is the deal… if my name is not listed; I go about my normal duties for the day. If my name is in the paper well I usually just go back to bed!

So last week I pick up our small town newspaper and was quite surprised to see my name listed in the obituary. There it was in black and white…Mike James’ obituary. Mike James had died. I kept the paper to show to my wife, son and a few friends. I am not diminishing all the other Mike James’ in the world today who might have died, but after reading this obituary I was fairly certain it was not me, if not for the singular reason that I was actually the one reading the article.

This experience did spark my thinking about how my obituary might read when I do die. By the way you will die too. The last time I checked the mortality rate was 100%. No one gets out of this world alive.

Here are a few funny ones.

• “Here lies the body of Jonathan Drake, stepped on the gas instead of the brake.”
• “He was a good husband, a great Father but a lousy electrician.”
• “I told you I was sick.”

Seriously, have you ever thought about writing your own obituary? Even if you don’t use it, it is a good life exercise. Why? Because it summarizes who we are and what we have accomplished.

The truth is we are all writing our obituaries each day by the way we live. Will you leave a legacy of faith in Christ? Are you making your life count for the Kingdom of God?

It’s never too late to start. So look at the obits in the paper and if you are not listed…Live your life today for the glory of Christ!

Keep the Son, in your eyes,

Mike James