I was reading the obituaries the other day…

Uh, no…

I don’t normally spend a lot of time reading the obituaries.

I was the checking the online news about my favorite college football team…

And there he was…

Kevin…

Staring back at me from the obituaries with a wild look in his eyes and a wild smile on his face that said…

“Watch out. Trouble’s on the way, and you’re going to like it!”

I had to learn more about him…

I clicked on the obituaries.

Before I got to Kevin’s story…

I read about Alex…

Factory worker.

Plant manager.

Father.

Husband.

Member of a local community service group.

Services will be held at…

A standard obituary.

Finally, I scrolled to Kevin’s story…

“Kevin liked to cook and sing with his friends.”

“Those friends will sing and eat and celebrate his life in a local bar on Saturday.”

I suppose I don’t know any more about Kevin-the-singing-cook than I know about Alex-the-father-husband-plant manager…

But I feel as if I do.

As if I got a glimpse into Kevin’s heart.

And I wonder…

What if God…

Who knows our hearts completely…

Wrote our obituaries ?

“…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”   1 Samuel 16:7

Would he write about the jobs we held?

The places we lived?

The clubs we joined?

Or would He write about our heart’s journey toward him?

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!  Psalm 119:10

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God…”  Matthew 5:8

Would He write about His love for us?

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Would He write about our accomplishments or His sufficiency?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

If God wrote our obituary…

Would He write as if our lives had just ended…

Or as if they had only just begun?

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.     John Newton-Amazing Grace

Note: An original version of this post first appeared in October, 2015