“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Philippians 3:12
All the guys on gap year were challenged to write our own eulogy, for the purpose of casting a vision for our life and to give us a goal to get to by the end of our lives. I wanted to share mine with all of you for accountability and encouragement.
First of all, I want to make it known, when I die I want to be cremated and I want my ashes to be bound with magnetic pieces and put into an etch-a-sketch and have someone who is gifted with an etch-a-sketch precisely and accurately craft a self portrait of me from a prime age in my life, and have it hung above a fireplace in one of my kids house (they’ll have to fight over who gets it).
Funny, loving, kind-hearted, friendly, bold, passionate, man of God, that’s who Jesse David Smothers was. He really impacted people. When he would walk into a room he would change the atmosphere. People were drawn to him, and that’s because he was so close and on fire with God. His heart was overflowing with the Holy Spirit, and he wanted to share that and pour into others. He lived his life like everyday was a gift and every moment precious, not to be wasted. He seized every moment, and was present wherever he was, embraced the adventure, and lived life with no regrets. He would thank God for that, because without God his life would have meant nothing, it would have been pointless. Without God Jesse’s death would have been the end of Jesse, and that’s it. But with God Jesse’s life is only just beginning, and that’s what he wanted to share with everyone he interacted with. Jesus died for us so we can be with God, and that’s exactly where Jesse is right now. And he hopes to see you there someday too. Don’t waste your life.
I hope this can be honestly said about me at the end of my life. I don’t share this to be prideful at all, I want Jesus to be magnified. I share this so you all know the type of man I want to be, and if my actions or words don’t line up with this I would love to be called out in love and reminded of my end goal. Also, I wanted to share it to encourage all of you to write your own eulogy. Write what you want to be said about you at the end of your life. It might be different than what would be said about you right now, but don’t be discouraged.
I read this quote once and it really made me stop and think, “He continued spreading the name of Jesus so much, that no one remembered his.” How amazing it would be if that could be said about you and me someday. Think about the legacy you want to leave.
