Before You Go

Last month one of the people I was closest to in the whole world passed away. He was a cousin of mine and we were only three months apart in age. He and I were best buddies our entire lives; we had so much fun together. For those of you who have heard me tell stories about going to Mississippi, this was the cousin I always went and stayed with, usually 2-3 times a year. His death was tragic, and quite a blow to us all, especially his immediate family down in Mississippi. I miss him so much! (today was a very bad day).

Since his demise I’ve been thinking a lot about death, and about life. His passing has led me to question how I’m living my own life, what I have, or have not accomplished, my relationships, and where things stand in my life right now. It’s been quite an emotional and gut-wrenching journey to say the least. 

My cousin’s earthly journey has ended. His life can be looked back upon now using the past tense, “he was”… “he did” … “remember when” … and so forth. His life is all in the book now and can be analyzed and thought through. I believe he is at peace now, total peace, and I thank God for that. But for many of us closest to him, his death has caused questions to come up in our minds. In my case it's questions like: “What’s do I want to accomplish before I die?” Have I left things undone? Am I using my years wisely? Am I using them the way God would have me use them?" "Are there things my children will look back on some day and wonder why I did or didn't do them?" In other words, I am asking something we should all consider, "What will my legacy be?" When the book on your life comes to a close, whether sooner or later, what will be written in its pages? 

These are profound questions that require a lot of thought and prayer. Truth is, they will make your head hurt if you think about them for too long. But we all need to think about them some. I’m in the middle of a job search right now; in fact I’m in the midst of possibly reorienting my entire vocational life; and that, combined with grieving the loss of one of my best friends, gives these questions an intensity that I can’t even begin to express. Just writing this to you makes me feel better though. Thanks for that.

I don’t have my  answers, at least not yet. But let me ask you, dear reader, what do you want to accomplish before you die? What do you want your legacy to be? Are you living your life in such a way so that what you hope for will be so when your life reaches its final chapter? Let me challenge you to reflect on that. Do it with pen and paper in hand so you can write down what you discover.  

I’m not trying to be morbid, or to wear you out, but this is important. You may or may not get any answers as you think through the process. If not, remember the wise words of poet Nancy Willard who once said, “Sometimes questions are more important than answers.” God bless you as you do this. God bless us all.