What will the funeral be like?

Silence filled the room as people were asked to share about their late relative. His death was sudden and dumbfounding. The family gathered to pay their respects, but there was no visitation, no funeral, just a time for family and close friends to gather together in commemoration. 

"Who wants to say some words?" someone asked. 

But it was quiet. The gathered did not know what to express because the person the words were intended for didn't exactly have a glowing resume. People were not crying and exuberantly trying to talk over one another because there was so much depth, goodness, impact, and memories to share. Eyes peered around the room at each other, darting away when gaze was met. Were they to feel shame that there was nothing much to share? Being together, mourning a loss, and prayer was enough to fill the space, but how sad that it was nothing more?

When I was in the 8th grade, I had a friend/teammate pass away unexpectedly (she was 12, I was 14). That rocked my world and from that moment on, I decided I wanted to leave a legacy... I wanted to live a life that was glorifying to God in how I spoke and how I acted. So I set out to do just that, failing all along the way, but correcting and learning for the next time (day, situation, season, etc).

When we are faced with the reality or idea of death, I have pondered, "what will people say about me when I'm gone? Will they have things to say or will the room be quiet?" I think this is a good thing to think about. Too often we live life as if this is it, but it's not. We live life afraid, worried, anxious, lazy, or comfortable. But what are we doing to impact our neighbors, our friends, family, or complete strangers? I had a friend tell me recently, "When I go to the grocery store, I try to see how many people I can get to smile back at me". Now, that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it made me think again about how short life is. And that is who she is; kind, bubbly, outgoing, thoughtful. She wants to bring joy into the mundane areas of life, just because she chooses to. And in a world that is constantly decreasing with joy, it seems like a pretty good idea. It's simple yet effective. What if we all tried to tally how many times someone smiled back at us at the grocery store? We'd have to focus less on ourselves and actually smile, but it seems worth it. 

Unfortunately, we don't get to look-on while our funerals are taking place... So, when life is over, what will people say? Will they joyfully sit around regaling stories, memories, and impacts that you made? Or will they quietly look around the room, unsure if what they want to say is really true to what they believe?

Every day we have breath in our lungs is a chance to live a life that is extraordinary. And I don't mean gathering all the material things we can, going on crazy cool trips, having tons of money, or gaining a following on social media. Extraordinary can look like serving others, telling someone how much they mean to you, being kind, forgiveness, getting help to be healthy, or... smiling at strangers in a grocery store. 



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