I Died This Week

      Did you hear? I died this week. It was in all the papers. I was driving home from the office, not paying attention and I pulled in front of a car. Don’t worry. It was instantaneous. I didn’t feel a thing. Family and friends came to the funeral and said all kinds of nice things about me. Perhaps you were there. I hope you said nice things about me.

      Certainly, I am looking forward to my years in paradise, Abraham’s bosom, and then, after the judgment, eternity in heaven. However, I must admit that as the angels carried me away, I did have a certain amount of regret.

      I never did get to some of those honey-do’s I kept promising Marita I would. I am trying to remember if I gave her a kiss and told her I loved her before I left home that morning. I meant to tell her I was sorry for getting mad at her the other day. Hopefully she knows.

      There were still so many things I wanted to do with Tessa, Ethan and Ryan. I had been promising them to have a game night. Not to mention, with all of this Fall Focus stuff going on, I kept putting off have a wrestling match with them.

      I always meant to tell them how special they were to me. I had so many things I wanted to show them and teach them. We never did go on that camping trip we kept talking about and didn’t go hiking or fishing (though I am not sure I personally regret missing out on the fishing trip).

      All those things I had intended to do but just never got around to and now I will never be able to. As Ecclesiastes 9:6 says, the dead have no share in what happens in the land of the living.

      Did I set the proper example for the kids? Will they always remember that the most important thing to their daddy was serving God and God’s children? Will they want to be like their daddy? When they are like their daddy, will that include studying their Bibles, praying, attending the assemblies of the church? Will it include being patient, kind and loving?

      Did I prepare them to face the world? Did I talk with them about sin and peer pressure? How will they handle temptation? Will they ever become Christians? Did I lead them in the right path?

      As I am sure you have guessed, I didn’t really die this week. Actually, one of my uncles died just out of the blue. He had a massive heart attack. He woke up fine in the morning, but about 12 hours later he was dead.

      Our focus on the family, which ends today, has forced me to think about my family and my responsibilities in it. Too often, the family things get put off. I am sure the family will still be there tomorrow and we can get to all of that then. However, the reality is, I can’t take that for granted. Today is the day to focus on the family.

Edwin L. Crozier