What Will People Remember?
However, as it is written: “What no eye
has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – the things
God has prepared for those who love him. – 1 Corinthians 2:9
He loved Jesus. And that love permeated everything he
did, whether at work, at church, at home. He gave generously of his time and
money to those in need. He lived his faith.
And on Wednesday, God called him home.
No one expected it. How could someone so healthy get
sick and die so quickly? How could someone the doctors expected to fully
recover suddenly die? God’s ways are not our ways. The Bible tells us that and
I believe it. But knowing and believing doesn’t make the path any easier.
The Bible also tells us that if we give bad things to
God, He will turn them to good. So those of us who are hurting fully expect God
to do something magnificent with this dear man’s death. We expect to see God
glorified again and again and again.
There are many people who talk about faith. There are
many who claim to love Jesus, who write checks, who offer prayers. But there
are very few it seems who actually live their faith. He was someone who did.
People keep saying what he good man he was. They’re
right about that. He was quick to share his faith in Jesus. He was the first to
extend a helping hand, a second chance, a smile and a prayer at that moment for
anyone in need. That’s part of the legacy he leaves behind.
He had built a good life with his wife and daughters.
He worked hard. But he would be the first to tell you that wasn’t what was most
important. He wasn’t raised in wealth. He’d made plenty of wrong choices along
his path. And sometimes he’d struggled to pay bills, to find a decent job, to
keep moving forward when life was determined to knock him back down.
He gave all the credit to Jesus. He told everyone how
Jesus had saved him again and again. He was just so open and honest about his
faith. He never tried to hide his struggles, to make his journey appear easy.
It wasn’t. But it was that journey which made him solid, dependable, true to
what he believed deep inside.
I can’t even imagine what greeted him when he arrived
home. Jesus surely was there. His Daddy was probably right beside Jesus. And,
then, the receiving line of welcome was likely massive. My parents would have
been there. They adored this young man. We all did.
Now there is nothing left by memories and an emptiness
that will never truly go away. His wife, whose own faith runs deep, will take
one step and then another as she struggles into a future she didn’t plan. She
expected they had years to share. Don’t we always think we’ve got all the time
in the world to create memories?
His daughters will continue toward adulthood without
the guiding influence of the man who loved them fully and completely. Hopefully
the lessons they saw him live will be their rudder as they navigate a world
without him. His family will do all they can. It will never be enough.
He died without regrets. His family knew how much he
loved them. They also understood how deeply he loved Jesus. That’s what they
will cling to in the dark days to come.
What will people remember about you when you’re gone?
I promise it’s not going to be about what you own or how much money you
acquired. They’ll remember how you lived your life and how you loved the people
who surrounded you. Will it be a good memory? Will you leave a lasting legacy
or will it slowly become dust as time passes? The choice is yours but don’t
wait to long to make it. There are no guarantees that tomorrow will ever come.
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