I performed a funeral today for a family friend of my in-laws. It was a beautiful day, and there were many in attendance to pay the family their respects. As I prepared my thoughts for the service, I began to ask myself… “Would I die without regrets?” I believe the person we put into the ground today could answer that question with fairly confident tones, but I am sure there was a lingering thought of regret somewhere in the crowd or within the family unit. Only they will truly know the answer to that… but back to me.
At my funeral would those standing by family say that I lived the “good and right” life? Would they relish the memories of the slice of life they shared with me? Would there be someone in the church/funeral home that wished I would have been more friendly or loving? I guess there really isn’t any way of knowing how to make that day truly beautiful for all parties. But I do believe in my heart and mind that there is a way that we all can die without regrets.
As I spoke to the grieving this morning, I passed along the truths that were given to me as I journeyed to this date. Let me share them with you…
- Friends: Community is such an important thing in this day and age. In a severly fractured world, true community can be a springboard to transparency and authenticity… two prinicples the world lacks. Make sure you spend profitable time with your friends, and make sure the friends you keep are profitable to you for all the right and healthy reasons. If you are not careful, inauthentic and clouded friendships can suck the life right out of you.
- Family: Family, much like friends, is a fragile commodity in a world filled with hatred, self-indulgence and general lack of connectivity. I know my generation craves the family dynamic in its most rewarding form. The sad reality is that for many of us family is a dirty word. That doesn’t mean we have to perpetuate that ugly dynamic. Begin to speak into your family unit things like honesty, unconditional love, grace and affirmation. If it can’t happen inside the family, then we set up our emerging generations for failure due to our inability to model healthy family models.
- Faith: It is my opinion that the first two components to dying without regrets are null and void if this last one isn’t resolved properly. Faith in Jesus Christ is the rock-like foundation for healthy relational interactions. Living with hope leads us to living a life of giving hope to those around us. Through faith in Christ, we are empowered to truly love and be truly loved. The latter is what can fill the massive void prominently found in our world. Without accepting “true” love offered by God through his Son, then we tend to use our friends, family, and other close relationships for our own never-ending needs.
I guess that is secret to dying without regrets. Loving your friends, family and yourself in the way that God lays out in the Bible… by first accepting His love so that we can learn how to love in the most powerful way known to man… unconditionally.
Journey to Life 