I think one of the best things that I’ve learnt this year is that I am not going to be remembered.
I thought that I had to leave my mark in this world. That to have impact, and to truly make a difference, I needed to do something that will leave me unforgettable; that will leave me in the memories of all who come after me – especially my descendants.
I thought of the great people like the Apostle Paul, or St. Augustine, or maybe even Abraham Lincoln.
I believed that I had to do something great, or else my life was worthless.
But I found freedom in the book of Ecclesiastes – No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
And I realized that in reality, nobody is going to remember the things I’ve done in a hundred years.
I don’t know the name of my great grandfather, and that was barely 80 years ago. What hope do I have that my descendants will remember me?
We aren’t living for this life only. And if everything we do is to be remembered in this world, that feels like so much unnecessary pressure for something that’s of so little value.
As I thought about it, the pressure to be extraordinary in my own strength lifted off, and I found freedom.
Freedom in knowing that I’m not called to live to be remembered, or to live for fame, or to live to leave a ‘great impact’ as the world defines it.
I am called to preach the Gospel, die, and be forgotten.
And so are you.
Because your name and my name will be remembered for eternity in heaven.
