A Life Well-Lived

Just 100 Words

This past Fall, we had over a dozen deaths at our church – spouses, children, and other family members. In one particularly difficult week, three funerals were held at the church. Ministering to these families was very difficult for the pastoral staff, the deacons, and the Sunday School classes. Many of those who died had been friends of my wife and I, often for decades.

When my father passed away right before Thanksgiving at age 97, it felt like we had become proficient at attending funerals. But the challenges were different. Thankfully, my two brothers handled most of the details – they were local.

The average person lives 4000 weeks. The life of our loved one is summarized in an approximately 100-word obituary. If the deceased had a terminal illness, they may have planned their funeral and written their own obituary. In most cases, however, the obituary is written by the deceased’s closest family.

Much of an obituary is formulaic – the deceased’s name, age, a picture, birthplace, living and deceased family members, and details about an upcoming funeral and interment. My father did significant genealogical research on both his and my mother’s families, so those obituary details were important to establishing the path of our ancestors.

While important, those obituary details don’t describe our loved one – who they were, what they were like, and the legacy they left behind in the form of family and friends. We want our brief time on earth to matter.

For a Christian, what does a life well-lived look like?

Connect with Others to Live Life Together

Obituaries overwhelmingly highlight loving relationships as the clearest sign of a meaningful life. If you look at the words describing the deceased, you’ll see that they were devoted to their family, had strong friendships that lasted decades, were someone others could rely on, and spent their time investing in people, not material things or accomplishments.

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10, NIV)

Demonstrate Concern for Others

A life well-lived often included service – volunteer work, at a church, within the community, mentoring younger people, and helping neighbors and those in need.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13, NIV)

Character and Integrity Matter

Commonly praised traits from obituaries include honesty, humility, reliability, faithfulness, and a strong work ethic. When the early apostles were selecting the first deacons (Acts 6:1-7, NIV), they didn’t look at the qualifications of the men considered (e.g., “Bartholomew had 20 years of experience as a waiter”). Instead, they saw the character of the early deacons – men of good report.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23, NIV)

Enrich the Lives of Others

People who have lived a life that matters reflect God’s joy and bring it to others. They inspire and encourage. Everyone wants to be around them because of their positive outlook. Their legacy is one of warmth and gratitude.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NIV)

Demonstrate Faith in Adversity

As Christians, we know that there will be hardships in this life – health, family, finances. These are the consequences of living in a broken, sinful world. We will all have challenges that threaten to throw us to the lions. The person whose life mattered endured their challenges with grace, hope, strength, courage, and peace.

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV)

A life that matters is not rooted in accomplishments. Your legacy is your faith, joy, service, character, and relationships – how you reflected God to those around you.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7, NIV)

A Challenge – Make A Difference

Writing this brought to mind a church member and friend who passed away several years ago. She lived through a difficult divorce, remarried, her new husband had health issues before passing, and then she developed an untreatable brain cancer. Through it all, she never complained that life was unfair. Instead, she reflected the knowledge that God was in charge of her life and would do the best for her good and His glory. And when she passed away, we celebrated a life well-lived.

Prayer: Father, help me to live a life that matters, reflecting Your love and goodness to others in all that I say and do.

The obituary picture was generated by ChatGPT.