As the funeral was about to start, I heard a man utter under his breath “Wow this was a good turn out.” That simple sentence hit me hard. It made me realize that I have so much to be thankful for; it triggered so many realizations; it instilled in me so many outlooks that I need to start living by.

When the older man said that, my immediate thought was “If I died today, who would come to my funeral? Who will I have impacted? What legacy will I have left behind?” These are questions that we should all dwell on throughout our lives – not for popularity reasons, status or personal interests but for the greater good, for something bigger than just ourselves.

You see, at the end of our time on earth, the materialistic matters of this world won’t matter: fame, fortune, status… “trendy pictures,” your monitored number of Instagram followers, and who’s number one on your Snapchat friend list. It all dies with you.

Remember that what really matters are the valuable, ceaseless imprints you leave on this earth: intimate relationships, your impact on others, becoming a better person, and, most importantly, fulfilling your role as a disciple for Christ.

Remember that we weren’t placed on this earth to live for ourselves. We were created for a purpose by an all-knowing and perfect God. We were carefully created with different gifts and talents that we might use those gifts to love one another and spread the word of God in our own way. At the end of our lives, what really matters are the Christian seeds we planted in someone’s life to hopefully see them give their life over to Christ.

Remember that we were meant to live happy lives. We were meant to enjoy every stage of life because the Bible tells us that we aren’t promised tomorrow. Enjoy the difficulties, knowing that the challenge only brings a finish line to run through and produces a stronger person at the end of the race.

Romans 5:3-5 explains this principle best:

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Remember that life is just too short to sweat the small stuff – driving away before realizing you were given the wrong Chick-fil-A order; the car in front of you cutting you off; forgetting to submit that 20-point assignment. The big picture should tell you that these minor instances soon enough won’t matter. Research shows that even the moderate stress over minor troubles can cause an increase in blood pressure and cholesterol, affect your immune system, and weaken memory retention and learning. So don’t do it; life is too short!

Remember that life is too short to hold grudges and dwell in your resentment. If you often times get annoyed with a friend or family member, if you’ve held onto an argument for years and now have a grudge towards someone, if you resent someone for “what they’ve done to you,” then let it go. One day that person is going to be gone and you’re going to tell yourself that you would do anything to bring them back, to hear their voice. You’ll feel guilt, and what-if questions will constantly run through your head. So stop the resentment, and open your heart up to love. If God can forgive you, you can certainly forgive another person.

Remember that we were designed to love and laugh constantly and live nothing short of a happy life. It’s sad that sometimes it takes someone passing away to realize these things. But, be thankful that you’re alive today to fix anything you need to fix and to live the happiest, fullest life you can.