This past week I stayed in an unusual hotel room in Guntersville, Alabama. A small plaque on the outside door read, “The Ricky Nelson Room.” Ricky Nelson was one of the biggest teen idols in the 1950s, starring alongside his family in a very popular television series, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and, as a singer, he had many hit songs such as “Travelin’ Man” and “Poor Little Fool”.  The hotel promoted the fact that the famous actor and rock & roll singer stayed in that very room the night before a tragic 1985 plane crash took his life and the lives of several of his band members the next day.

The walls inside the hotel room contained several pictures of the well-known entertainer in his final hours. Computer-printed signs read, ‘The Last Two Days” and, “The Last Concert.” A paragraph under one picture read, “Ricky and his fiancée stayed in The Holiday Inn’s Room 106 Saturday and Sunday nights.”

Staying in that room reminded me that life is extremely uncertain and we don’t know what a day will bring forth. Ricky Nelson was only 45 years old when he was killed.

Room 106 also made me think about how we would want our last few hours to be described. Although many see nothing wrong with pre-marital sex today, the Bible clearly labels it as sin. (See previous blog on the subject here). Ricky Nelson probably figured few people would ever know he and his fiancé spent the night together in a motel room. And maybe it didn’t matter to him what people thought. But he had no idea that the next day he would die and every minute of his final 48 hours would be well-publicized for his fans and loved ones to review for years to come.

Preachers frequently remind us that we should be ready to meet God at any time. But have you ever thought about the fact that the events surrounding your death could significantly diminish a lifetime of positive influence? A last minute, once-in-a-lifetime flirtation with sin could become inordinately noteworthy in your death. Imagine the disappointed church friends and embarrassed family members if your final hours were described in the following ways:

“His blood-alcohol level indicated he was driving under the influence when he lost control of the car.”

“According to the motel owner, dad rented a pornographic movie at midnight so he must have died a few hours later.”

“One of those trapped in the fire at the strip club was a local church leader who never recovered.”

“Grandpa admitted they spent a good portion of the evening fighting with each other but he doesn’t believe that led to the severe stroke that took grandma’s life a few hours later.”

“Observers say he occasionally smoked some pot but the autopsy said he died of an overdose of heroin. He just started running with the wrong crowd and went downhill fast.”

“He and a female companion were both killed in the motorcycle accident. The family insists the two were just good friends but the circumstances surrounding his death have been the topic of much speculation and a continual source of embarrassment for his grieving widow over the past several months.”

Years ago, an older, saintly woman from our church attended a business convention with her husband in Las Vegas. She was appalled at some of the raunchy activities she saw advertised on every corner. She later mused, “I was so fearful the Lord was going to come back when I was in sin city and He wouldn’t find me!”

That’s a funny comment. But maybe a good way to determine the appropriateness of any behavior would be to ask the question, “If the Lord came back tonight or if I died tonight, is this an activity I want to have recorded as my final page in life?

Several months ago the body of an older believer who lived alone was discovered ten or twelve hours after he died. They found his body in a kneeling position. He’d been on his knees in prayer when he passed and they found him with his head just resting in an overstuffed chair in front of him. What a way to go! What a way to be remembered! His testimony in death was consistent with his testimony in life.