If I were not here tomorrow
1 Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
2 For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.Isaiah 57:1-2
On Wednesday May 21, I was getting ready for work when my sister called to let me know that a childhood friend of mine had died suddenly during the night. This sent me into total shock and grief because she was only two years younger than me and there was absolutely no warning.
During the day at school I constantly thought about her and the question, “What if I wasn’t here tomorrow?” kept running through my mind. I’m a very private person so I thought about family members, friends, even strangers sifting through my personal stuff and wondered what would an uncensored view of my possessions testify about my life.
Here’s what I jotted down as I thought about my friend.
If I Were Not Here Tomorrow
If I were not here tomorrow
What would I want you to find
Among the possessions
By which my life would be defined?
I know you’d find the photos
That I have proudly on display
Telling you without a word
Those who are important to me
You’d find my favorite books
Inside my nightstand drawer
Beside it would be my journal
With my many unshared thoughts
My computer would point you to
A group of friends I’ve never met
But whose lives have touched my own
In ways I can’t express
Last but not least, you’d find my Bible
The possession I treasure most
With its well worn, highlighted pages
Lying open on my pillow or in my favorite chair
My pictures, my books, my journals
My computer and my Bible
Would give a perfect stranger
A brief glimpse into my life,
So if I’m not here tomorrow
I hope you’ll be able to tell
If you looked through my possessions
That I’m in the care of My Savior Jesus Christ
For Jenny, May 21, 2008
This is really heart touching my friend.
Thank you for sharing this–you have touched my heart today.
Definitely thought provoking! Thank you!
What a beautiful devotional Bernadine. I have thought about that myself. I want the things that surround me to be an expression of my heart. I guess it works both ways – to surround myself with things that are pleasing to the Lord and to have a heart that desires those things. So wonderfully said Bernadine. Thank you.
Bernadine,
This is so wonderful. You should submit this to a magazine somewhere. A periodical or something.
Absolutely openhearted and very touching. Love you. I pray that if I were not here tomorrow, my family and friends would find exactly the same things you listed. and… the would. Love you, Lynn
Bernadine, after Wanda passed away—and Aimee and I began to help Mark with her things—that is all I could think of—what if this were me? What if my family was sorting—looking—sifting through the details of my life—what would they find? I hope they would find hope. Hope to try harder—continue on—-do more—go further—give more—-be more—all for Christ—for that is the only life that will last.
Your post means more to me today than I can describe.
Love you so much—Angie
p.s.—the anti-spam word is hope…and Ididn’t even see it until I moved the screen down more 🙂
What a thought provoking post. We all need to think about the legacy we’d leave behind. I’m sorry for the loss of your “old” friend.
Oh, Bernadine, I am so sorry for a loss of your friend. You are right – sometimes we don’t have a ‘warning’ and we will not be here tomorrow. I pray that God will comfort the ones that I leave behind when I am not here tomorrow…
Your poem is beautiful – like all your poems. I too hope that people will find something in my possession that will point th the One I cherished the most.
Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us.
Ha – my spam word is “Christ” 🙂