The Coffin
Posted by sellout
What matters? What is destiny? What does it matter if we all end up in the same dirt anyway?
We all ask these questions, but in the end what matters is the impact you have on people after you are gone.
It was a life changing day for many.
Everyone walked in to the youth group that day and noticed right away the lights were dark in the sanctuary. A very sad cold air was in the place where everyone was usually busy gossiping and sharing the latest tv experiences.
Something was different in the room with the basket ball courts and the ping pong tables. Everything was decorated and solemn. In the center of everyones attention however was a coffin.
A leftover funeral was all anyone could think.
The youth pastor got up to the pulpit and let everyone know the funeral had not yet started, but that he was going to start the proceedings right now.
He slowly began to speak of the person in this coffin with vigor and passion. He seemed to search for words however as if in reality it was one that never accomplished much, and never really had anything to show for their life.
He told us how important it is to live our lives like it was our last day, because we might be next.
He apparently forgot to mention the name of the person that had passed. He appeared to assume it was well understood who it was, and talked about the person so personally like a close friend, which made everyone wonder who they had lost so important, but no one dared ask.
Everyone wondered what they had missed, or if they had checked the newspapers that morning. A sick feeling of sadness, and not even knowing who it was they were sad about losing.
Finally he paused and slowly walked over to the top of the coffin. He rose the top portion of the cover and took a good long look at this persons face himself. He then motioned everyone to form a line, so one by one each could take their look.
Anticipation rose, to wonder who it was, but not knowing who it was they were about to see in this coffin. Towards the end of the line was a boy that could see everyone in front of him one by one taking their look. Some walking away with tears, others with laughter. Some walked away quick, others did not even stop to look.
The boy in the back grew all the more curious and disoriented as this went on.
Finally he was next. He slowly walked up to see this person, having never seen a dead body before. As he grew closer he was trying so hard to understand in advance who it was that died that everyone cared about so much. He wondered what the expect; to also see a person that never amounted to much of anything in the end that the pastor had a hard time speaking well of.
Who was it?
Does it even matter that they died?
Why did some care and others did not?
The questions raced but were answered seconds later.
The boy looked into that coffin, to see his reflection.
What will they say about you?