His Last Words Were…

“His last words were . . .”

People’s last words pique our interest because they’re sometimes profound or grateful or sad or inspiring or ironic. People’s last words—after living out their life on earth and before departing forever—almost always cause us to pause and think both about life in general and about our own life. Even if the words aren’t particularly profound, the fact that they’re a person’s final utterances makes them worth hearing.

An Oklahoma death row inmate, convicted of two murders, was recently executed. He acknowledged that he was drugged out when they happened and doesn’t remember doing them. Formerly a violent gang member, he was now remorseful.

When customarily asked if he had any last words, his reply is one I would never have expected. He said, “Nah, I’m good.”

“Nah, I’m good”?
Really?

I won’t judge the guy; his life is his business. But of course, I started thinking about how we live our lives and face eternity.

His apparently being continually on drugs struck me as a heavy metaphor for how so many people live their lives. Not illegal drugs but the drugs of money, sex, power, pleasure—the endless pursuit of fame and fortune and feeling good. I call them drugs in the sense that these pursuits operate on dopamine rush. And dopamine is the “feel good” hormone that gives a sense of pleasure. It’s a good thing. God gave it to us, and I’m glad he did. Without dopamine we might be depressed most of the time. But like most good things, people overuse, overdo, over-seek, and oversell what stimulates it to our long-term detriment.

If we’re not aware, we can fall into this and live life as if we’re drugged on whatever it is that endlessly numbs or stimulates or entertains or goads or pulls us in circles or toward an ultimate dead end.

And I suspect that if I were to challenge a number of people about this, they might give me a similar answer: “Nah, I’m good.”

As I face eternity, that is one thing I do not want to say.

And I hope you don’t either.

God created us for so much better. His desire for us is so much more. And he gives the grace for it to happen.

So I’ll ask you. If this were your last moment—right now—what would your last words be?

Or if you had a given amount of time to live, what would you want your last words to be at the end of that time?

Photo credit: Gerd ALtmann | Pixaby