when you die

i once heard someone tell a story of hearing a preacher tell a bunch of college kids the following:

when you were born you cried and everyone else was smiling. the question you have to ask yourselves is if you have lived such a life that when you die you will be the one smiling and everyone else will be crying

friday, i went to the funeral of my uncle david (actually my great uncle david). it was obvious to me at least that he had lived such a life – a life of meaning and purpose. the room was full of people who were truly thankful for the part that david played in their lives and were going to miss him. it wasn’t a small funeral. the room was packed. it wasn’t packed because uncle david was a celebrity or a person of importance or note. it was full because david had consistently lived out a life that was faithful.

i’m sure david was smiling friday and i know that there were many people in that church auditorium that were crying.