"He was in the game."

Someone asked me the other day, "What do you want to be said at your funeral?"

That's a good question.  I had never really thought about that question before.  Oh sure, I've heard about it, and I've been to a lot of funerals and heard many great things, but I hadn't really thought about it before then.

I thought about the various things people could say:  "He was a good guy."  Nope- definitely don't want that being said.  "He was a good father."  Not bad.  "He was a good husband."  Again, not bad.  "He was a good pastor."  We know THAT one wouldn't be said by anyone with honesty. 

So, what would I want to be said?

It all came down to one statement that sums up what I want my life to be all about:  He was in the game.

He was in the game.

What game?

It doesn't matter.  Whatever he was doing, he was in the game, making it happen.  He wasn't sitting on the sidelines, hoping that somehow it happened.

In marriage, he was in the game.  He wasn't sitting there hoping that love somehow magically happened.  He made it happen.  He was proactive.  He didn't sit around settling for average.  He was in the game.  He opened the doors for his wife.  He invested intentionally in things that made the marriage better.  His wife knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was committed to her for life, come hell or high water, and he would be faithful as long as they both shall live.

In fatherhood, he was in the game.  He wasn't sitting around, content to let someone else teach his kids how to read.  He taught them himself.  He wasn't going to hope that they would be successful- he set them up for success by intentionally investing in things that matter.  He taught them a work ethic.  He didn't hope that somehow by luck they'd figure it out.  No, he was in the game.  He was involved, invested, and intentional.  He wasn't going to let someone else figure out life for his kids.  He set them up for success by being in the game.

In ministry, he was in the game.  He didn't sit around hoping that the Great Commission would be accomplished or that God's word would somehow magically get out to the people.  He dedicated his life to making God and His glory known to as many people as he possibly could.

Whatever he did, he was in the game.  Financially, he set up his family for success by making wise choices with money, ensuring stability by good money management.  Friends always knew he loved them.  People always knew where they stood with him- he could always be counted on to tell the truth whether it was pretty or painful.  He was never content to let someone else do his job.

He was in the game.

Now, the hard part is living in such a way that that is exactly what is said at my funeral.  The problem is, and every athlete will tell you this, it's much safer on the bench.  You never get hit or fouled or hurt while sitting on the bench.  However, it's also no fun, and you accomplish nothing unless you are in the game getting hit, taking shots, taking initiative, and making it happen.  Many people will choose the safety and boredom of the bench, content to simply let life happen and hope that things turn out well.  I choose not to do that.

I choose to be in the game, taking life at full throttle and making no apologies for living life to the fullest.  In athletics, I hate the bench.  In life, I hate it even more. 

Jesus was the same way.  The people that killed Him, to their credit, never accused Him of being boring.  Quite the opposite- they saw Him as too dangerous, too radical, and too "in the game" for it to be safe having Him around.  When Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full,"(John 10:10)  He meant it.

At the end of my life, which may be today, or tomorrow, or seventy years from now, my greatest regrets will not be the things I had done.  Rather, my greatest regrets will be those haunting words, "What might have been," had I had the guts to do it.

For all of you who fall along the same lines- who want the words, "He/She was in the game," said at your funeral, go for it.  Get in the game.  Fathers, get in the game with your kids.  Be active.  Be proactive.  Don't let someone else teach your kids- YOU teach them.  Don't sit around hoping your kids figure life out- show them.  Mothers, get in the game with your kids.  Spouses, get in the game in your marriage.  Make it happen.  You are the ones that determine how wonderful or terrible your marriage is.  Get in the game.

Christians, get in the game.  We have work to do.  There is a world that desperately needs the gospel, and we're the ones God has chosen to communicate it.  Get off the bench and get in the game.  There are prayers that need to be prayed, Bibles that need to be read, people who need to be loved, churches that need to be served, pastors that need your support, missionaries that need your presence and prayers, unbelievers that need the gospel, orphans that need families, widows that need care, people that need food, water, and medical care, and discouraged people that need encouragement.  We're the ones to do it.

Whatever you do, make sure that "He stayed on the bench where it was safe and secure" be the only thing said at your funeral.

Get in the game.