_{Am I living the life I want to be celebrated?}

Hi everyone. I’m Sherry Douglas with Heart-Song. Last week there was a horrible tragedy in our area with the murders of a teen girl, her mother, and couple that were their neighbors. We can all read the news articles and facts of the event, but I want to focus on a quote by the husband and father who was preparing to have the visitation and funeral for his wife and daughter.

I read this quote written by him,

“Clearly everyone is mourning and experiencing overwhelming sadness right now. But these next couple of days are going to be dedicated to celebrating their incredible lives….Forget the formalities…come and celebrate how they lived!”

As heart-wrenching as the deaths of his loved ones were, he remembers the importance of celebrating how they lived. How inspiring and lovely!

Let’s learn from this brave and wise man and ask ourselves a couple of questions: Am I celebrating the lives of others NOW by letting them know how much they are loved, respected, or admired? Am I living the life I want to be celebrated? Life is short – no matter how old you are when it’s ended here on earth. Let’s be intentional to take the time to impact others in a meaningful way. Let’s especially take the time to figure out the way we want to live – to live the way we want to be remembered.

There are many Scriptures that instruct how to live a good life – a Godly life. One passage is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Of course, these verses don’t mean that we aren’t to grieve when a tragedy occurs. If we live well, we’ll definitely have times of grief. The apostle Paul wrote those words, and he suffered many personal tragedies. He understood our humanness and our emotions – the way we were designed. Yet, he also understood the importance of an intentional focus on rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. As we walk through our lives of joy and suffering, may we mimic Paul’s wisdom – the wisdom of the Lord. May our hearts continue to seek him.

Live the way you want to be remembered. Amen.

See you next time.