What do you want on your tombstone?

I remember when Tombstone pizzas were popular. My family had more than one dinner around one of those store bought wonders. Then they came out with rising crust which was well worth the extra cost. They used to run these cheesy western commercials for their pizza where someone always asked "What do you want on your tombstone?" Of course we would think about the wonderful assortment of toppings that we could enjoy.

Unless you live on the moon, you have heard of the passing of Michael Jackson. When his memorial was held, thousands of people watched and bought tickets to be a part of it. It was a media frenzy. There were cameras everywhere interviewing people with tickets who held them like newborn babies afraid of dropping them. It was sad in so many ways.

There is a short story at the end of Acts chapter 9 about a disciple named Tabitha (Dorcas). This story usually gets swallowed up by the story of Saul's conversion, but it is, in my opinion, the more powerful of the two stories.

Dorcas was a woman who got it. She cared for her neighbors. The Scripture reads that she was always doing charitable works. When she became ill and died, Peter was called to come. This is where the story gets good. Peter showed up and all the widows came to him wearing the clothes that Dorcas had made for them.

There was no media frenzy, there were no kings, princes, or rulers at her deathbed, there was no one of worldly esteem there...just those whom Dorcas cared for. Thats it. She lived a life more worthy of a media frenzy than any star or starlet. She got it. She lived out her faith in a way that literally put clothes on peoples backs. And she couldn't run the local thrift store to buy used t-shirts for 65 cents and think she was doing people a favor, she had to make these clothes. Thread by thread she shared the love of Christ.

Who will be at your deathbed when you pass? Will people outside your family know? Will they care? Will you be missed? Will anyone be there that you helped clothe? Helped find Christ?

What do you want on your tombstone?

The Gift of Perspective

One of my great friends, Stephen Snyder, just got back from South Africa where he spent a few weeks helping missionaries in a squatter camp. You can read more about it here.

He shared a bit of his trip to our students last Wednesday night and one part of his story really struck home with me.

He told the story of a young man, about 17, who he got to know while he was there. This young man had been through more than any old man would want to. He was on his own. He had seen his aunt burned alive by a group of men, he had been abused by his dad, and he was now completely on his own.

Stephen shared how this young man called him over one night and asked Stephen if there was anything he could pray about for him. Needless to say Stephen was floored. This young man asked to pray for Stephen. Unbelievable.

You know what this young man wants more than anything? To learn to read so he can read the Bible. Unreal. This kid has seen more than many of us will in our entire lives and he simply wants to know Christ more.

One thing I have learned in my short life is this… perspective is everything. I get physically sick sometimes at the things we get upset about. The pressures we crack under. We have no idea what hardship is. We have no idea what it is to be starving, yet we say that we are everyday we eat lunch late.

So the next time we update our facebook status with how our worlds our falling apart because we had a bad day, our friends have hurt us, or our relationships don’t work out, remember this. There is a young man in South Africa who wants to learn to read so he can know Christ more.