Reflection: Did my behavior match my values?
Preaching funerals and attending funerals is a regular part of my job. A few days ago, I had the privilege of attending one of the best funerals I’ve ever witnessed, the home-going celebration of Camilla Smith (mother of Joyce Lang).
As I sat there and listened to the wonderful reflections of the family and witnessed a family that had been deeply marked by a godly matriarch I couldn’t help but think of the vast difference between the funerals of a someone who had lived their life practicing godly values versus someone who hadn’t.
This can happen to Christians as well as unbelievers. I can’t begin to number the times I’ve been a part of a funeral service where the majority of a person’s life was spent pursuing things that were not of eternal value. In the end, it was all just fluff and glitter – no substance…so sad.
But then there are people like Sister Smith who day after day after day lived faithfully by her godly values. What a difference…
- In how their families turned out
Living a reflective life can be messy sometimes. - In the legacy they leave
- In the things that are said about them
- When they stand before Jesus Christ
You will not drift into a great funeral and a godly legacy. Neither will you leave a godly legacy by hitting one grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth near the end of your life.
I thank God for his mercy in saving people after a long life of sin, but the truly great ones are the ones that lived faithful and true lives over the long haul; they’re the ones who have great funerals and great lives.
Reflecting on today’s question each day will go a long way into helping you be like Irene Camilla Dodd Smith – one of the great ones. May her tribe increase.
Reflectively,
dlkemp
The ONE THING 