What Will They Remember?

“And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.” (2Ch 24:16 AV)

Joash had much to overcome and accomplished much for God.  His mother killed all his brothers and the only reason he survived was that his sister hid him in the temple for six years until he was old enough to ascend to the throne.  When Judah made him king, he cleaned out the kingdom of all sodomites, repaired the temple, and had his wicked mother executed.  Toward the end of his life, he did make some mistakes.  He assumed his success would transform into being as great a king as David and found himself in a war too large for him.  He also allowed the high places to remain which continued to be a stumbling block to God’s people.  However, the cast majority of his life was lived for the glory of God.  He did some very hard things.  He did more right than he did wrong.  The thought that came to mind for me was how I am going to die.  Can people say the same thing about my life?  Despite the many failures sprinkled throughout my years, are there enough successes for the LORD that people will remember me for those things?

I know I have mentioned this already, but one of the most profound moments in my life was visiting a small military cemetery.  This cemetery is on the grounds of Great Lakes NTC located in North Chicago, IL.  One would think this to be a rather large grace yard.  But it is not.  Only a few hundred are laid to rest there.  Some of the grave markings are rather old.  One would also think that only those with extreme honors are buried there.  But you would be mistaken.  There is Medal of Honor recipients there.  There are silver and bronze star recipients there.  There are Admirals laid to rest there.  But there are also seamen laid to rest there.  Nurses, doctors, and corpsmen were all laid to rest at the cemetery at Great Lakes.  Many of the headstones do not mention anything other than the name and dates of their earthly pilgrimage.  But many have short epithets reflecting the quality of life the deceased lived.  Etched in stone is the remembrance of a life that mattered.  What war they might have fought in, their rank or MOS may have been inscribed, and sometimes their duty assignment appeared.  But one thing was clear.  The fact they were laid to rest at the cemetery of Great Lakes Naval Base told you all you needed to know.  Their lives were defined by that sacrifice regardless of the accolades they received.  Their presence at the military cemetery spoke of their purpose and definition of life.

As I get older, this is becoming more and more important to me.  It is astounding how much this doesn’t matter when we are young a full of zeal.  We may desire to climb mountains, build kingdoms, or solve perplexing problems.  But those things are often found in pride and not in humility.  Our character, so much as what others can see, matters.  But the inner man is often the least of our concerns.  How we are perceived by others matters.  But it will not be what we think it will be.  Our character, and not the size of our accomplishments will be far more impressive to those who are left behind.  What we leave with them is the greatest treasure we could ever leave behind.  It isn’t the expanse of our work.  It is not the castles that we build.  It is not the great feats we can accomplish or what contribution to society that is important.  What really matters above all else is how much like Christ we have become in the years He had given us.  When I look at the years God has granted, I cannot help but wonder, “Have I done my best for Jesus”.  The obvious answer is no.  No one can say that.  But there is a follow-up question that can be asked.  Will I do my best for Jesus from now on?  What my sons write on my headstone matters.  I hope they can place something there that will glorify the LORD Jesus Christ and help others along their pilgrimage with God.