Stories They Will Tell

I did a funeral today. Whenever I do a funeral I spend some time talking with the family. We have a large church and I don't know everyone as well as I would like. But even when I know someone really well I still get together with the family because no one knows someone better than the family. No one knows you better than your family. Anyway, I sit with a legal pad and a pen and ask the family members just to talk about the person who has passed away. It usually takes a little while but people finally start talking and the stories start to spill out. I have been doing this for a while so I don't need to hear too many stories before I get a real flavor of the person. The stories people tell at that time are usually pretty revealing. It struck me that some day someone will be sitting with my family and asking them to talk about me. The same thing will happen to you. What kind of stories will they tell? Will they talk about how much you worked or what a terrific Cavs fan you were? I hear stories that make me sad about how a life was lived. I also hear stories that are absolutely inspiring. I heard a daughter say,"Every one who knew my mom loved her". I want my family to tell stories about how much I loved them and how much I loved Jesus. Stories that combine those two would be the best. It was a sobering day to do a funeral today. Barbara was a wonderful woman and they told spectacular stories about her. If a funeral can be easy then that is the kind of thing that makes it easier. I want to make a preacher's job easy.
Lord, let me live a life that is easy to tell. Let it be a string of little love stories told by those who know me best. And may the stories themselves make both of us smile together while we watch from heaven.