Do pride and humility come in to play with casket
selection? When walking into the casket room at the funeral home all sorts of
thoughts and feelings begin to stir. My first thought was, “what am I doing
here?” Of course, decisions have to be made whether in preparation for the
future inevitability of our own death or the current reality of the death of
someone close.
So, we begin to reason about considerations, and
there are lots of things to consider. What will people think about me if I
choose this casket for myself or whoever? Wait! Maybe I am mistaken. There is
only this one thing to consider, isn’t there? What message am I giving? What
will people conclude? What will they say? We can’t choose a casket without
thinking of who will be present at the funeral. Who will see? What evil
thoughts will float about the room? “It’s obvious he didn’t love her enough to
give her the best.” “His family must be spending their inheritance on
themselves.” “Poor man, he deserved more honor than his family could afford to
give.” “I would never be caught dead in that!”
Pride pushes us to make decisions, which we can’t
afford, to protect us from our fear of what others may believe about us. If we
push back the pride and let humility guide, we can consider many other more appropriate
questions. What are my total financial obligations? What is too extravagant for
a humble Christian? Do I want to impress or exercise discipline and humility?
Should I care about what others might think or the biblical principles I live
by? When choices are made, will God be pleased?
Choosing
a casket involves more than just how long will it preserve the body from decay.
A casket is another illustration of things that moths and rust destroy and
thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19). A life driven by pride lays up
worthless treasure. The humble life knows where true treasure lies.
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