The Measure of Success

Today I have the honor of preparing for a funeral.  I received a call from the funeral home on Monday.  The director began, "You probably have heard but ..."  I had not heard.  I was shocked!  I did not see this death coming!

The now deceased man had been coming to Grace for the past month or so after being invited to attend for years.  He was in his early 50s and rather energetic.  I had known him for over five years, and I had come to appreciate his love of life and of people.  We shared a love for the outdoors and life.  He was a care-giver at heart and in practice.

In the past month, we had several discussions about his life and the gospel.  On Sunday, he had heard that I was planning to move; and after congratulating me, he made a fist and told me that he had finally found a pastor he liked, how could I move!  He understood the reasons, but he was still shaken.  I told him we had five months together and Grace was a great church with a flaky pastor, so he would be fine if they found a good one!

On Sunday evening, without any previous symptoms that I knew of, he had a massive coronary event that immediately ended his life.  

We did not have the five months to grow in the gospel.  We did not have years ahead for him to develop roots at Grace.  He did not have a moment more to prepare to meet Jesus.  I do pray that in the past five weeks, he embraced a living faith in Jesus Christ.  

I also pray that all of us ponder the incredible shortness of life.  None of us know the day or moment of our end.  All to often we live like this life is all we have.  We live like it will go on forever.  The truth is that there is more to life than the here and now, and it does have an end!

The following is a good Hallmark card definition of a successful life.  I believe the man who just died would have agreed.   

“Success”
Inaccurately attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

While I enjoy this poem and it gives me much to think about, I would add a line that to do all of these noble goals while enjoying a full and deep relationship with the living God make a life worth living!  It also makes a life that begins now, but continues throughout all of eternity getting better and better!