What shall they say?

Life is more than the acquisition of stuff, it is about what we have done,whom we have served and why we will be missed when we leave (Zoe Believer, 2007)

I was going to title this post 'My Epitaph' but that sounded a bit morbid and didn't really fit my 'Thank God it's Friday, looking forward to the weekend' mood that I'm currently in! Lol! I try to read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People at least once a year, I'm on my third cycle and I still hmmm and haa although I can repeat some bits almost verbatim. I'm on the second habit which states "Begin with the end in mind" and at the beginning of the chapter, the author Stephen Covey encourages the reader to carry out an exercise in which you imagine yourself attending a funeral only to find out it's yours but you have to sit and listen to what others have to say about you.

Now before we start casting down evil imaginations, the aim of the exercise is not to focus on dying and death per se but on the epitaphs that will be given. What shall they say? I just realised that although every human being is created unique and we are so diverse, there are some things we all have in common. We are all born, we all are given 24 hours each day and someday we all die. The point is that we should live our lives focusing on the important things. It's not about living up to other people's expectations but living a life of purpose.

I always like to think that my epitaph would read "Here lies Zoe Believer, Served God, her family and humanity" but this would mean that my purpose would have to be; Serving God, my family and humanity because if what is written on that stone should hold true, it should only be the past tense of what I am living today.

On a deeper level, musing on the conversations, hoping that they're honest, what would Daddy say about me, and Mummy, my sisters, my colleagues at work, my best friends, readers of this blog, whose words would matter at the end of the day? Dr Covey says that doing this enables us touch on what are our core values; helping us arrive at our own definition of success. As a believer, I know that death in this realm is not the end and while my desire is not to be so heavenly concious that I am of no value here on earth for I recognise that God's purpose is that I run, rise and reign here, I am becoming increasingly aware of what my deposits into my spiritual bank account are and if I am really living life in balance.

Even more important is what shall He say? Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest or depart for I don't know you. God forbid the latter, but what we do today determines what we get tomorrow.

What shall they say, what shall He say?

Selah.

Remain blessed and highly favoured. Have a great weekend!