What Will Your Tombstone Say?
Have you thought much about your tombstone lately? I think of my tombstone often and it encourages, inspires, challenges and pushes me forward.
When I’ve attempted to create a life goal, mission statement or other form of purpose statement for my life, I seem to have trouble formulating it into a few simple words. I get much too wordy to include all that I want to pursue. I become discouraged as I can’t seem to accomplish it all and still do it well.
During my high school years I was contemplating my future as teens often do. I began wondering what I would want to be said about me at the end of my life. What legacy would I want to leave behind? What would I want to be known for? What one thing would I want my tombstone to say?
Over the years my tombstone saying has never changed. I have re-evaluated it. I have contemplated changing it. Yet, somehow, it has dug a furrow deep into my heart.
In addition to being known for having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and being a friend of God, the writing on my tombstone remains the same.
As I have grown and worked on bringing my tombstone saying to life, I am amazed at the irony of it all.
You see, I have come to realization that I am, at my very core, a rather selfish person. It requires a conscious effort on my part to think beyond myself. I find taking on the selfish me and laying down my own expectations and desires a daily task and challenge.
Not one I cringe at the thought of, but rather one that I have come to embrace. A changing of my heart that I find (when I can get past the selfish me) I rather enjoy and treasure the experience of.
I use it to force me into making my tombstone dream a reality. I use the challenge and thorn of it to drive me forward in taking on my selfish self and coming forth victorious as I overcome selfishness in each situation.
I long to not only learn to animate my tombstone saying for myself, but to also instill it in my children. I long for them to not only have the right and ability to loudly proclaim about me the reading on my tombstone, but for them to then also be able to say, “And she taught us to do the same.”
I am coming forth with my selfish admission. I am finding that the more I overcome selfishness, the easier it becomes. The more I focus on it, the more I see it accomplished in even the smallest of situations.
I am constantly reading my tombstone in an effort to make the call on my heart a reality of my life. I’ll let you read my tombstone as well.
“Born to Serve. Died Serving.”
Have you thought much about your tombstone lately? If not, take some serious reflective time and do so.
I challenge you to not write something easily attainable for you. Write something that will be more than just a simple accomplishment in the end. Write something that will, in and of itself, dictate and explain a pursuit that entirely consumed a part of what your life represented as you changed to become a better person to make it a reality.
What does your tombstone life mission read? What are you doing to accomplish it?
Originally published April 02, 2009.
