I pass a local funeral home on my way home from work. Each day, I look to the chimney to see if it’s spewing out smoke. The end of someone’s loved one. The body of a person whose life story is complete. Then I remind myself that I’m never more than three days away from my body being in that oven. Three days from now all traces of my physical self could be gone from this world. I’m here for a limited time. I’m just passing through. Yes, it’s morbid, but you know what, it never fails to positively impact me.

If I’m feeling stressed it helps change my perspective. If frustrated, it helps me call out to my Father for peace. If joyful, it helps me overflow with gratitude. Most of all though, it restores my priorities to what they should be.

As disciples, the brevity of our earthly life should focus us. In our culture of consumerism, lack of priority is the #1 obstacle to disciple making. The reality of our impending death fills the Scriptures. We’re reminded to set our minds on things above, not earthly things, to store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven, and that death is at work in us.

Unfortunately, our default view of death is far removed from God’s. To God, our death is a sacred event. A precious entrance from one realm to another (Psalm 116:15). It’s the back cover of a book whose first words were written during the year of our birth. When death comes for you, what story will your life tell?