09/17/2007

The semi truck was delivering frozen pizza to local grocery stores. The truck was headed north on I-45 destined for the various Kroger's and Randall's in the area. I wouldn't have thought much of it, but on the very back of the truck were these words:

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ON YOUR TOMBSTONE?"

At first I thought this was some very up-front advertising for a company that engraves tombstones. I was curious enough, in fact, to drive up alongside and get a better look. The ACTUAL advertisement was for Tombstone brand Pizzas. But, the whole situation got me thinking:

How many good conversations have been sparked as a result of this truck?
How many dismal trains of thought have traveled through the minds of the off guard traveler?

I suppose most of us drive down the road (in the same manner in which we drive through life), living in a daze of unreality that leaves us fooled into believing we are immortal. We feel comfortable carrying on as though death is a myth. But you can bet your sweet September that folks traveling behind the Tombstone truck often have knots in their stomachs. A harsh reality, death is.

I thought the question on the truck was a good one. It not only was a reminder that every single one of us will die, but it shed light on a greater issue: how then shall we live? A tombstone usually summarizes a person's life. "Mother." "Father." "Beloved Son." "US Marine Corp." What do I want on my tombstone? I know what my answer is. Ready?

Rachel Lynn Jones
Feb. 12, 1985-??
"I'm Not Who I Was"

Death is not the victor. Jesus paid the price. I, who had been stained with iniquity, am now cloaked with HIS purity. I'm not who I was.

"If any man is in Christ he is a NEW creation. The old has gone. The new has come."

And my transformation will be complete long before a stone-craftsman has time to complete the engraving on my tombstone. I will be with Jesus, fullness of redemption realized, the moment this earthly heart stops beating. I will be what I was intended to be, not what I was. No, I'm NOT who I was!

Regardless of what any tombstone reads, there are just two options:

"I'm Not Who I Was" OR "I'm Forever Who I Don't Want To Be"

Have them write what they will: "Funny!" "Sweetheart." "Loved by All." "Nobel Peace Prize Winner." "Chef Extraordinaire!" But, make sure that somewhere there is a tombstone with your name on it where your 'old self' is buried. Not a physical graveyard, but a real one nonetheless. I like to think that at the bottom of the cross on Calvary, there is a grave that reads:

Here lie the blemished remains of:
Rachel Lynn Jones
Jesus' blood has made her new.
She's Not Who She Was.

And sometimes it is good to be reminded (yes, even driving down the road following a semi truck) that I don't have to fear death. Jesus already dealt with it. So somewhere between local grocery stores on a major thoroughfare, I found myself in the shadow of the cross. I briefly glanced at the place where my sin was buried. That grave should have held me. But, thanks to Jesus, I live.

"Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."