Death is inevitable, and we know this. Sooner or later it will all boil down to us simply running out of the allotted time we have here on this earth. Sickness, old age, or even an accident may play a part in bringing about our demise. With that being the case, it is best to always be prepared and ready to go at a moment’s notice.
I’m sorry if I appear to be delving into the macabre this morning, but an old memory resurfaced yesterday and set me on this train of thought. For Bible School during the summers when I was young, if you had perfect attendance for the whole week the church would load up a bus and take a group of said ‘perfect attendees’ to Pontchartrain Beach. (Yes, I spelled that right thanks to Google) Those were the days – the rides and camaraderie we shared with each other, the less than tasteful food, and our first experience with a pay toilet all created many fond memories of a time long ago. The amusement park might best be remembered by many of us ‘children of the seventies’ for the Zephyr and Raging-Cajun roller coasters, as well as the Wild Mouse.
But what made my memory wheels turn this morning was the old Haunted House ride. You were always standing in line forever it seemed, and as you waited there was a fake cemetery located in front of the building. Some of the epitaphs written on the mock-tombstones still stick in my mind even today. One of my favorites was ‘Maw loved paw, paw loved women, maw caught paw with two in swimming – here lies paw.” Sure, it was most definitely corny, but it was also a lot of fun.
I came across a picture on an email the other day of another tombstone, this one was supposedly real. A computer expert died and requested his tombstone read in the following manner:
I’m sorry if I appear to be delving into the macabre this morning, but an old memory resurfaced yesterday and set me on this train of thought. For Bible School during the summers when I was young, if you had perfect attendance for the whole week the church would load up a bus and take a group of said ‘perfect attendees’ to Pontchartrain Beach. (Yes, I spelled that right thanks to Google) Those were the days – the rides and camaraderie we shared with each other, the less than tasteful food, and our first experience with a pay toilet all created many fond memories of a time long ago. The amusement park might best be remembered by many of us ‘children of the seventies’ for the Zephyr and Raging-Cajun roller coasters, as well as the Wild Mouse.
But what made my memory wheels turn this morning was the old Haunted House ride. You were always standing in line forever it seemed, and as you waited there was a fake cemetery located in front of the building. Some of the epitaphs written on the mock-tombstones still stick in my mind even today. One of my favorites was ‘Maw loved paw, paw loved women, maw caught paw with two in swimming – here lies paw.” Sure, it was most definitely corny, but it was also a lot of fun.
I came across a picture on an email the other day of another tombstone, this one was supposedly real. A computer expert died and requested his tombstone read in the following manner:
“Connection reset by peer: He came, he saw, he logged out.”
Although these may be humorous examples of what people may choose to leave behind when they finally cross to the other side, it should also make us stop and think – what do you really want your tombstone to say? What will be the final words written about you and what will they, in turn, tell the world? Most would want to be remembered as a loving parent, or a caring son, daughter, etc. I’d like for my own to be able to say that I was faithful, and that I did my utmost to trust in God. In any case I definitely do not want my epitaph to be something that would cause undue embarrassment to my family and friends who remain behind in my absence.
An example of what I am talking about can be found written in I Kings 21, “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.”
Ahab’s story is a sad one. His story begins in the Bible with him as the new king of God’s chosen people, and it all goes downhill from there. All that God had blessed him with he abused and destroyed, finally ending his life completely broken and dejected. His bitter epitaph written in the verses above serves as a warning to all of us on how not to live our lives.
The way we choose to spend our time here should be in such a manner that displays glory and honor to God in everything we seek to accomplish. That’s a tall order, and it is harder to pull off at times than it should be. A well-lived life makes for a well-worded epitaph, and if you’ve done your best to follow Him, your actions will speak louder than mere words spoken or written after you’re gone.
An example of what I am talking about can be found written in I Kings 21, “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.”
Ahab’s story is a sad one. His story begins in the Bible with him as the new king of God’s chosen people, and it all goes downhill from there. All that God had blessed him with he abused and destroyed, finally ending his life completely broken and dejected. His bitter epitaph written in the verses above serves as a warning to all of us on how not to live our lives.
The way we choose to spend our time here should be in such a manner that displays glory and honor to God in everything we seek to accomplish. That’s a tall order, and it is harder to pull off at times than it should be. A well-lived life makes for a well-worded epitaph, and if you’ve done your best to follow Him, your actions will speak louder than mere words spoken or written after you’re gone.
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