eFax of Life from CBMC Heartland
A Weekly Inspirational Thought from Ken Korkow
Who’s crying at your funeral?
Please respond to Ken Korkow My mother and dad were pretty self-focused. They had lots 'on their plate' so results had priority over relationships. One night, while trying to get them to spend more time with our children, I said: "Unless you change - when you die - your grandchildren won't cry at your funeral."
Because dad had some prominence and possessions his funeral was held in the school gym - and still was packed-out .... but I don't recall that many people had tears.
So - who's going to cry at your funeral?
Liz's mother, on the other hand, doesn't have much money. She just 'downsized' to a duplex in Wahoo. You wouldn't need a very big truck to hold all her possessions. But Marj Alm has taught grade school for a jillion years and 'people' have always been her specialty. At 88 she's still learning in a weekly Bible study and still sharing as a school mentor.
Who's going to really miss you?
This past week Liz and I were in Virginia to watch our oldest daughter receive a Master's degree - plus helped her move to a different apartment. In packing & unpacking her 'stuff' I saw a picture of our daughter with her Grandmother Alm - but I didn't see a single picture of the Korkow grandparents.
Who has your picture on display in their home? Who carries your photo in their billfold? Who carries your memory in their heart?
Here's a 99% accurate 'quick check' of who's important to you: take a look at your own house, check your own billfold. I heard a seminar speaker once say: "If you don't have a picture of your parents displayed in your house - you probably had a dysfunctional relationship with them - and unless you work to resolve that - you probably will pass on that dysfunction to your own children."
Ultimately - life is about relationships.
Our relationship with others flows out of our relationship with ourselves which flows out of our relationship with God. Unless we have an intimate, growing relationship with God and understand who we are in Him and Who He is in us - we won't have deep, loving relationships with others.
Dr. James Dobson said it well:
"I have concluded that the accumulation of wealth, even if I could achieve it, is an insufficient reason for living.
When I reach the end of my days... a moment or two from now, I must look backward on something more meaningful than the pursuit of houses and land and machines and stocks and bonds. Now is fame of any lasting benefit.
I will consider my earthly existence to have been wasted unless I can recall a loving family, a consistent investment in the lives of people, and an earnest attempt to serve the God who made me.
Nothing else makes much sense."
God has a monopoly on love.
If you don't like the relationships you have - change begins with you. And the key to that change is going to be your relationship with God.
Because I came from an imperfect background and have led an imperfect life - I spend time alone each day with my perfect God. Seeking/growing/abiding in Him is the only way we can conform to His image. Though we won't attain perfection this side of the grave ... 'Christ likeness' is the goal we focus on. Why?
True happiness only comes from growing in holiness.
CBMC Heartland, 05/24/02
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