For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
“It seems to me, my daughter, that everything passes so quickly that we should be thinking more about how to die than how to live.”
Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 2, featuring The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle (ICS, 1980).
For years, my mentor, Dan Busby, taught me how to live. I just said to someone recently that he also taught me how to die because he was thinking about how to die. He asked me pointedly to officiate his memorial service along with two other trusted brothers.
In short, he wanted the service to be online, as he said many of his non-believing friends would never set foot in a church. He wanted a simple recounting of his life and faith and gave me one charge: to point people to Jesus.
He even scripted me. He wanted me to share a quote from Mallie Robinson: “Take one step towards God and He will take two steps toward you.” He wanted his legacy to point people to Jesus. He said to trust God to sort the rest.
Life goes fast. In a blink it’s gone. So, our focus must be to prepare for eternity and to help others make it there. How will you die? It’s not a morbid question. It may be the most important and generous one you ever ponder.