A GOOD NAME

Last winter I read in my hometown local newspaper that a man named Clarence Baerg had died. I had a High School classmate named Allen Baerg with whom I've kept in touch, so I emailed him, asking if Clarence was a relative. This is what he wrote back:

"Clarence Baerg was my second cousin and also a good friend. He also had a son named Allen, so that gave us lots of confusion over the years. His son Allen died a little over four years ago from diabetes complications. Some friends of ours in Nebraska heard about it, but they didn't know there were two Allen Baergs. They sent my wife Tina a very nice sympathy card and message in it. Tina said that she almost cried at first when she read it (I guess they must have said nice things about me). I called them later on the phone to tell what really happened. They had caller ID and knew the call was from me. Their first question was, 'Where are you calling from'?"

That's a great story. Sometimes we get people confused over names, and other times we are confused from what's going on in our own lives. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we could hear what people would say at our own funeral. 

My wife Carol tells the story about three guys discussing what they would like people to say about them at their funeral. One said, "I'd like it said that I was a fine father and husband." Another said, "I'd like it said that I was a good Christian man." The third said, "I'd like it if someone said, 'Look! He's breathing!'"

Wise King Solomon wrote, "A good name is better than precious perfume, and the day of death is better than the day of birth." (Ecclesiastes 7:1) How do you react to that Bible verse? What does it tell you?

What would you like others to say about you at your funeral?