a walk through the cemetery

My boys and I often take walks through the cemetery that's close to our home. I know that may sound strange but it's always an awakening for my soul. It puts a lot of things in the right perspective. The cemetery is where pettiness falls to the ground and the luxuries of this world take a backseat to reality. It's a reminder of how truly short these lives we've been given are and that we are not promised tomorrow.

As we walk, we stop at my grandfather's grave to see the new flowers and flag that my mother and grandmother have decorated it with. Recently, we walked to all the graves where a confederate flag had been placed. A lot of these young men died in war, some just in their 20's. We saw many many children who had left this earth before their parents. We saw husbands and wives who had gone on before their spouse.

As we walk, I can't help but wonder what their stories were. They are all so much more than just a birth date and death date. There is a dash between those dates. That dash is what matters the most. Some lives were shorter than others, but they all have a story to tell.  We walked past my great uncle's grave who I never knew because he died at 2 years old. Then I think about his mother and father (my great grandparents) and how they must have grieved and mourned over the loss of their son and how the Lord had to carry them through that tragedy. If each grave had an open book, we would read about heartache and loss, triumphs, joy and laughter, successes and failures, their passions and interests.

The point is that not one of those people just lived and died. They had a story, a life that only they lived. Their stories still live on among their loved ones. We too have a story and we are still on this earth living it out. I don't want to waste time on this earth by building my own kingdom. Oh that our lives would point to the One who rose from the dead, the One the grave could not keep. If our lives tell a story, may we be an open book that tells of Jesus Christ. It would suit me fine if someone walked by my grave in the future and said "I don't know much about that woman except that she made much of Jesus."

If you ever feel too consumed by the world, take a walk through the cemetery. Remember how short this life is and that we only have one to live. Also, death is never final. There is life after death and it's for all eternity. If we have surrendered ourselves to Jesus Christ, we will be with Him face to face when we leave this earth and oh what a day that will be!!! With this life we've been given, let us love, forgive, pursue Jesus with all our might and fulfill His purpose for our lives.  And as the new song says "Tell your story and let your story be of Him."