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How do you want to be remembered? Another way to ask that question is: What epitaph would you want on your tombstone? That may sound like a depressing topic but actually thinking about how you want to be remembered could make a huge difference in the way you live.
A friend of mine said recently that she wanted the epitaph that Jesus said about the woman who anointed him for his burial in Mark 14:1-11. In this scene, some were complaining that she had wasted expensive ointment, and Jesus said she had done a beautiful thing. He said, She did what she could, and that’s what my friend wants on her tombstone.
Most of us shy away from talking about our death; it feels morbid. But one thing is for sure—unless Jesus comes again soon to rapture his church—all of us will face death and all of us will leave behind a legacy. It should not be morbid to think about how you want to be remembered. It’s smart, and it could be life changing. So, that’s why I’m talking about your legacy.
I love my friend’s idea of the legacy she wants to leave behind: She did what she could. That speaks to me of a life lived with the purpose, of using all her gifts, walking through all the doors God opens for her, but refusing to compare herself to others and accepting the way God made her and gifted her is good. It reminds me of this verse from Ecclesiastes 9:10:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Wise Solomon put it to us straight, didn’t he? He says after you die, there will be no opportunity for you to do what God put you here to do, so it’s important that you do what is in front of you well. What is in front of you? Maybe you have a job you’re not real crazy about. I understand; I’ve been there. But as a Christ-follower the quality of your work is one way you reflect Jesus—like working with all your might at that job you don’t like so much.
I challenge you to think about your legacy—how you want to be remembered. Even what’s on your tombstone.