“How we live our days is how we live our lives,” someone once remarked.
On our return home from youth group last week at Faircreek Church, I diverted upward into a poignant hillside cemetery overlooking Beaver Valley.
Humorous questions erupted from our back seats (we now max-out our minivan with 7):
“Dad! Where are we going?! Why are we driving into a cemetery? Is that a real tomb?! I think it’s open! What are we doing up here? Oh wow…look at this view!”
I remained silent as they chattered in circles until we arrived at the highest point of elevation. As I slid the transmission into park and opened my door, my wife Stephanie wondered aloud with a smile, too, “Honey, why are we stopping up here?”
“We’re going to renew our commitment to the Lord as a family,” I replied.
She softly smiled.
“Hey children! How we live our days is how we live our lives. Each day passes so quickly. Those days rapidly turn into months, years, and decades. Remember, death is the end of every man and woman on earth,” I shared with my crew.
As expected, more questions overflowed as they poured out of all the doors of our Honda Odyssey. I mean, ALL THE DOORS. Every stop we make at the school, store, or church looks like a chaotic, loud fire drill.
“Daddy, what do you mean?” they asked all-at-once.
“Kids, look at these tombstones. Each life passes so quickly. How we love Christ, love one another, and serve our neighbors (or the opposite) is how we build not just our days but the sum of our lives. So tonight, let’s consider the brevity of life and renew our commitment to love and serve Christ.”
We gathered around a small, stone memorial bench as the sunset poetically painted the sky. My tribe of seven humans held hands in a circle for just a moment, sang a little song, and prayed for God’s grace and power to guide us.
As we dispersed, our daughter Everlynn found a grave marking of a young woman who died in her twenties. In just 10 years, my slender princess will be 22. Our oldest son will turn 25. Those years will fly by.
How will we use the remaining time?
Surprisingly enough, a cemetery can be a place of revival, renewal, and re-thinking. Our daily priorities often fade into the distance when we view life through the macro lens of a funeral.
Think about the end. How we view the end, changes how we live right now.
Psalm 39:4-5 advises:
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”
Soli Deo Gloria
:: August 25th, 2024 ::
—- Michael J. Breznau
