A
Good Name
A good name is better than fine
perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go
to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the
destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Frustration is
better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of
the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of
pleasure. It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to
the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the
laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 7:1-6
My heart is full from attending the funeral of a faithful woman. Her
life wasn’t spectacular. She wasn’t known widely outside her church, neighbors,
and friends. But she loved Jesus, her seven children, and her twenty-five
grandchildren. She laughed easily, served generously, and could hit a softball
a long way.
Ecclesiastes
says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of
feasting” (7:2). “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning” because
there we learn what matters most (7:4). New York Times columnist David
Brooks says there are two kinds of virtues: those that look good on a résumé
and those you want said at your funeral. Sometimes these
overlap, though often they seem to compete. When in doubt, always choose
the eulogy virtues.
The woman in
the casket didn’t have a résumé, but her children testified that “she rocked
Proverbs 31” and its description of a godly woman. She inspired them to love
Jesus and care for others. As Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the
example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), so they challenged us to imitate their
mother’s life as she imitated Jesus.
What will be
said at your funeral? What do you want said? It’s not too late to develop
eulogy virtues. Rest in Jesus. His salvation frees us to live for what matters
most.
Are you living out things that will
affect your résumé or your eulogy? How would your life change if you
lived each day with your eulogy in mind?
Father, give me the courage to
live for what matters most.
Our Daily Bread – June 26, 2019