I started thinking about this. The items in this box will eventually fade away or be thrown out.
In the year 2123 will there be any signs that we ever existed? The houses we live in now and spent so much of our time and invested our money in will be owned by strangers we never knew. Our own descendants will hardly know who we were or remember us. How many of us know our great-great grandfathers? After we die, we will be remembered for a few more years, then we are just a photo but eventually our history, photos and personal items will gradually disappear from existence.
I'm not trying to depress you here but just to bring us all back to the things which are truly important. Although we live in the here and now, we must also think about what our legacy will be. Unless we are famous or some historical figure, what we've done during our lifetime will fade away. That's just the reality of life.
I was thinking about this in going through my dad’s things. In his final days he didn't ask for his things. The one regret he had was that he wished he had spent more time with me and my mother than he did with the church. What will be left of us in 100 years from now?
There are two things that will still remain after we are gone…. our tombstone (if we have a traditional burial) and what we have invested into others.
We should think of how we are investing ourselves into others. We need to imprint our values and integrity to those around us - especially our children. THAT is what should be passed down to the generations after we are gone. There is a 100% certainty that we won’t take anything with us when our time is over. While we should all be mindful of our eternal destiny, we should also be conscious of what we are leaving behind for the next generations.
This is a sobering thought for me today. Instead of thinking about dying, let's thinking about how our life will continue to live in others. Although I have no children who will pass on my name or bloodline, there are people around me that I want to exemplify God’s influence so that the spirit that has been upon me will impact their lives. That’s the thing that I want to leave behind the most. I don’t have a wealth of savings that I can leave anyone or anything of value that will last but my faith in God will endure.
A friend who once worked as a hospice chaplain said that the most common regret that patients have before they pass away is that they regret not spending more time and valuing their loved ones. No one wishes they had spent more time at work or made more money.
Will we matter 100 years from now? What we do now can affect the next generations. Let's make the most of the time God has given us. First, let's come to terms with the concept of temporal things and eternal things. Second, invest ourselves in our family and friends so that the good in us will live on in them.
One of the lasting memories I have of Milton O. Sweat, my grandfather, was when he made a statement on how he liked my ability in "sticking with God". He made this statement during a tribute service for him and his ministry in the late 1980s. I still replay that part of the video from that service.
Passing on our faith is not about dragging our children to church or preaching to our friends and family. That doesn't work on today's generation. They are looking for examples, not words. This is extremely challenging because none of us are perfect. Someone recently told me that I was an "example" but I immediately laughed because I do not think of myself in that way. I am a flawed person in many ways BUT the one thing I have is a passion to maintain my relationship with God. I make numerous mistakes, I am moody, I can be overly sensitive at times, but I never give up of my passion for God. THIS is the spirit that I want to pass on. It won't be the number of Bible verses we could quote but the quality and integrity of the life we have lived.
