What Will Your Epitaph Say About You?

By Al Behel

 

    I love reading old headstones. That may sound morbid, but I have found that the epitaph written may reveal a lot about the person whose body lies beneath the ground. Some are very sad, and some are rather comical. I recall one in New England which advertised that the widow was mourning as one who could be comforted. One I read in Barren County, Kentucky reads, “Behold, my friends, in passing by, as you are now so once was I, as I am now one day you’ll be. So, prepare for death and follow me.” Someone had written below these words: “Before I follow you of my own consent, I’d like to know which way you went.”

    Probably the most appropriate epitaph for any of us would be these simple words, “To Be Continued…” All of us will exit our physical bodies and they will return to dust, but, inside our bodies is a living soul which will never die. That soul will live eternally somewhere. There are only two choices: heaven or hell. Your life will “be continued.”

    We hope others will say good things about us when we are gone. But, more important is what God will say. Will He say, “you fought a good fight, you finished the course, you kept the faith”? Will He say, “Well done! Good and faithful servant”? Or, will He say, “I never knew you”? The choice is ours.

    We are writing our own epitaph each day we live. Decide now what you want yours to say about you.

- Al Behel served the Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN, for many years prior to this death in April 2022. The congregation may be contacted through their website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/