FINAL IMPRESSIONS

1 Kings 2:1-3:2; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25

“As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: ‘I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go.’”

“And Peter said, ‘How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.’ Instantly, she fell to the floor and died.”

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

Death tends to strip us of all artifice and reveal our true character. It also makes clear what we hold most important. David, even at death, chose not to bless, but only to instruct, Solomon. David did much to prepare his son for the mantle of leadership but, as we shall see, precious little to help him live as a man, father or husband. Ananias and Sapphira likewise found Peter’s instructions and explanations of very little help. In both situations, the point seems to be that the simple admonition to “Do right!” does little real good, whether it’s being given or received.

David and Peter both would have benefitted from following Christ’s example. Jesus did not condemn anyone, even from the Cross. In fact, He forgave His executioners. He did not pronounce death; He promised life to the criminal at His side. He did not bother admonishing anyone, either. Instead, Jesus simply entrusted His soul to His Father, and died without recriminations. Oh, how I pray my last words – or the last impressions my friends draw from my life - would be packed with such positive potential. “Do right!” never opened heaven’s gate to anyone.

My problem is, I have a difficult time being as positive or hopeful as Christ under any conditions. I tend toward the critical, even under the best of circumstances. Under stress, I’m particularly bad about applying rules and regulations to life, rather than falling back on the relationships that make it all worthwhile. I, like Peter and David, spend too much time speaking of “dead,” non-eternal things, and not enough time encouraging others to seek peace and reconciliation with their Creator and fellow humans. I remember the perceived slights and faults of others with an accuracy that would put an elephant’s memory to shame. But I don’t typically make it a priority to remind or show them forgiveness is an option, too.

Few of us know the moment of our deaths, and even fewer have given it much thought or prepared for it. Thus, when the Grim Reaper does come knocking, too frequently, we leave something less than our best behind as a final impression.  I, for one, want to do better, in part because I believe the Lord wants us to do better. Odds are, if I become more intentional about re-presenting Christ on a daily basis, my final impressions also will be more likely to convey love and appreciation. We can do no better than to leave reconciliation and forgiveness in our wake. But to be assured of doing so, it’s a good idea to begin the process of cultivating and spreading them now.