Good Morning, My Dear Friends,
One morning, according to an old story, Alfred Nobel picked up a newspaper and read an account of his death. It seems that a relative had died and a reporter mistakenly assumed it was the famed inventor. As Nobel read the article, he was disturbed about the way he was being remembered. He resolved to make the remainder of his days change that impression. Apparently, he was successful. Not all people remember Nobel as the inventor of dynamite, but most anyone can tell you about the Nobel Peace Prize and its related awards.
This story raised an interesting question in my mind: If you were asked to predict your own obituary, can you imagine what it would say? There may be something morbid about that question; life is too important to be spent thinking about its end. However, there are likely times when most of us will wonder how we will be remembered. When the clock of life runs its course, will our lives have counted for something? Maybe that’s a question worth pondering. I can think of three distinct possibilities.
First, it is possible for our lives to have a negative effect on the world. Do you remember the name of King Herod from the pages of the New Testament? In some ways he was a brilliant man, but in reality, he was sadistic and cruel. Knowing that his subjects would never mourn his passing, he decreed that 300 prominent citizens in his kingdom be executed on the day of his death so that there would at least be sadness in the land. His plan didn’t work, as his soldiers chose not to carry out such gruesome orders. King Herod died, and the world was glad.
Second, it is possible to have a neutral effect on the world. In the book of Revelation, there is a story about people who lived in the ancient city of Laodicea. The writer said, “I know your works. You are neither hot nor cold” (Revelation 3:14-16). These people lived in a perilous time when positions needed to be taken. But they took no stand. Such people are seldom respected.
Third, our lives can have a positive effect on the world. Abraham Lincoln was once asked how he would like to be remembered. He did not ask for history to recall him as president or as a world leader in troubled times. He said he hoped it would be said of him, “He plucked a thistle and planted a flower where a flower would grow.” It is little wonder that Lincoln is remembered with great fondness and appreciation. People who plant flowers where thorns have grown can be sure their obituary will read: “Gone but not forgotten.” Because they lived, the world is a better place.
What will your obituary say one day?
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
