What Will you be Remembered For?

Last week my youngest daughter Anne, went to the cemetery to visit her grandfather’s grave. It was the anniversary of his death 9 years ago. She told me that sometimes when life is overwhelming she likes to go to the cemetery and read the headstones. There is a 5 year old child and a 19 year old buried near my father in law’s grave. It quickly puts your life back into perspective. No matter how bad things are, you still have breath in your lungs to deal with it.  This life is like a vapor of smoke and passes so quickly.

I was thinking about how we remember people after they have passed. My father in law has a cowboy hat on his headstone. We all remember how he read endless cowboy books when he ate dinner!

I was reading a story about the man, Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and made a fortune from the manufacture of it. He woke up one morning to read his own obituary! His brother had died and a reporter had mistakenly reported the death of Alfred. Of course anyone would be disturbed to read their own obituary but Alfred was appalled when he saw himself as the world saw him. The dynamite king! The weapons maker? This was how the entire world viewed his life? He was in the eyes of the public, a merchant of death! That is how he would be remembered. As he shockingly read the obituary he resolved to make clear to the world, the true meaning and purpose of his life. His last will and testament would be the expression of his life’s ideals, to break down the barriers that separated men and their ideas. The result became the most valued of prizes given to this day! The Nobel peace prize, given to those who have done most for the cause of world peace.

Wow. That would be pretty overwhelming to read your own obituary. What will we be remembered for? What have we accomplished that will live on as our legacy? These are sobering thoughts but ones I believe need to be considered. This life is so fleeting and we don’t get to go back and make changes and get different results. We have exactly how much time God has allotted to us and for that we will be accountable.

We read about all the “famous” people throughout history and all their great things they accomplished. They were no more special than you and I! They just made use of the resources available to them and made their difference in this world. God only made one of You, no one else can take your place. You alone can accomplish what He has given you to do. Take the opportunity to be a good influence to someone today. Help bring positive change to those around you.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow spoke these profound words:

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time.