What Will Your Memorial Be?
All of us will pass on from this world. How do you want to be remembered?
Next week, many in the U.S.A. will celebrate Memorial Day. The holiday was established soon after the end of the Civil War during which more Americans died than in all of our other wars combined. Families and friends of those who were killed on the battlefield, or as a result of the many illnesses and infections contracted during that war, went to the graves to remember them and to put flowers on the tombstones.
In the Old Testament book of Joshua, there is a record of the great Israelite, Joshua. (Joshua 4:1–24) He led the people of Israel after Moses died before they crossed into The Promised Land. They crossed over the Jordan River, and that is where Joshua set up an altar as a Memorial to their safe passage into the land God gave them.
When it is time for you to leave your earthly body, what do you want to be remembered for? We no longer build huge pyramids filled with all types of costly goods, but some have statues erected over their graves. They do not want to be overlooked or forgotten.
That is one of the sins of the Holocaust and terrible genocides. There is nothing left. Some loved ones who suffered the loss of a victim on 9/11 during those horrific attacks continue to suffer because there were no remnants, nothing to bury, nothing to verify that the person was truly lost. It could only be assumed that the infernos and residual calamities destroyed even their DNA. It is fitting that beautiful memorials stand to honor them.
But what about you? For what do you hope to be most remembered? Maybe that is unimportant to you, but I think that most of us hope to have made some sort of impact from being here.
As for me, when folks think of me after I’m no longer among the living, I hope they will remember two things about me.
One is my deep love for the Lord. So much of my life revolves around that pivot. While not always successful at living my faith, I never give up on that ideal.
Secondly, I want folks to remember me for my sense of humor and how I absolutely love making others laugh and smile! Our troubled world is full of so much tragedy and despair, it is easy to get lost in it all.
However, if I can provide some comic relief, even if only for a moment, it is a good day and I am living out my life’s purpose. I also enjoy laughing. I usually laugh along with others, and I am proud of my wit and ability to regale the downhearted.
Laughter is good for our hearts, our souls, and our minds.
God’s gifts include joy and mirth. “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.”: Prov 15:13. A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”: Prov 17:22
As we celebrate this Memorial Day and we call to mind our departed loved ones, it is good to reflect on their memories and legacies. I encourage you to give prayerful consideration to your own. What will you leave behind?
If you enjoyed this article, you may also find interest in one I recently posted about my sense of humor, The Lady with the Blue Hair.
