My greatest fear was realized as I read an obituary this morning. It wasn’t in the newspaper, but in a history book.  I read in 2 Chronicles 21:20 about King Jehoram who died at age 40. It said “He passed away, to no one’s regret….”

When you die and people write your obit in their minds, what will they say about you? There will be the fact: he passed away. But what about the regret factor? Will they care that you are gone? If not, you’ve still got time to change things.

I don’t want people to be sad when I die, in fact, I want there to be great rejoicing and celebration that Barry has crossed the finish line, ran the race well, and stepped into the gold medal stand of Heaven. But I hope there is a feeling of regret because the difference I was making will be missed.

There are lots of interesting thoughts about life and death. One t-shirt says “Live your life in such a way that the preacher won’t have to lie at your funeral.” A teacher says “stick your finger in a bowel of water and then pull it out quickly and see how big of a hole it makes.”

Since dying isn’t optional, here’s a great way to prepare for it: Take your eyes off of yourself and look for what you can do for others. At the end of your days there will be great wailing that you’re gone, because you were making a difference!