Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

In the past few weeks, our team of engineers worked many hours for several nights on an important project with a telecommunications client.  The project didn't start so well, it was marred with delays and all kinds of unforeseen issues. However, the thought of a positive contribution to the lives of 9 million people made the project worth all the attention and the sacrifice. Fortunately, few days ago, the new equipment went into production. What an achievement!

It was wise king Solomon who said: "The end of a matter is better than its beginning". Good or happy ENDINGS don't often come out of luck, they are an outcome of careful planning and execution. There may be many other factors outside these two, but without these two, those factors can hardly bring you a good ENDING.

In Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, Stephen Covey, encourages us to think about our funeral, imagining all the people in attendance and the kind of contribution you have made in their lives...

This kind of thinking has helped many to draft powerful mission statements or goals that have guided them to greatness.
Also, in a similar vein, burial Epitaph is something to consider about the END. To spur them to action, many have written theirs by themselves many years before their death. Below is a sample of some Epitaphs:
King Cyrus The Great:
"O man, whoever you are and wherever you come from, for I know you will come, I am Cyrus who won the Persians their empire. Do not therefore begrudge me this bit of earth that covers my bones."

Michael Grzimek 1934 - 1959 :
"He gave all he possessed, including his life, for the wild animals of Africa."

Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I'm Free At Last."

Stan Laurel:
"If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I'll never speak to him again."

Writing your burial Epitaph may inspire you to live more consciously to achieve your dreams before the END. However, I have some questions:
Is death really the ultimate END? Is there nothing beyond death that can truly inspire?

In most African, just like other "speak no evil of the dead" traditions, good funeral and burial Epitaphs may be misleading. Irrespective of how one had lived, they are given a befitting funeral with everyone saying the nicest things about them! Whether they write their Epitaph or someone else writes it for them, it may not truly reflect how they actually lived.

The subtle trapping of this is that, one can easily "cheat" their way to a superb funeral and a powerful burial epitaph.

For this reason, inside my office, there are two paintings (from Revelation Illustrated) hanging on the wall. Both paintings are scenes from Apocalyptic epistle of Saint John of Patmos. One painting is  the Book of Life (Rev 20:11-15) and the other is the Gate to the Eternal City (Rev 21:9-27, 22:1-6), one of the two ETERNAL destinies.

For anyone to go through the gate leading to the Eternal City, their name must be written in the Book of Life. The One who controls this Book cannot be deceived, no secrets can be hidden from Him. He knows you and even your thoughts...

This scene, to me, depicts the ULTIMATE END - because after this, there is no other END, we will then be thrust into one of the two ETERNAL destinies. I think often about this END and it truly inspires me in everything I do.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?