The Sobering Truth About Your Existence

This is a sobering truth about your existence: a few decades after you pass away, no one will remember what you did. Sure, close family members might remember your name, but the core of your achievements will fade over time.

Accomplishments

Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

George Washington is often called the father of the United States. It’s taught in every school that he was a general in the revolutionary army that defeated the British in our fight for independence, and that he was our first president. These are facts; they don’t reveal much about who he truly was. We know facts about him, but we don’t really know him.

All your accomplishments, if you’re fortunate, will eventually become nothing more than data points. Most of what you’ve achieved in life will fade away like morning dew. Who you truly are will be lost in the memories of those who knew you. With their passing, so will the memory of you be lost in time.

Character

Proverbs 20:7, “The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!”

If you want your essence to echo through eternity, it must be intentional. It’s not about your name; it’s about your character. Everyone leaves a legacy. The question is: what kind of legacy will we leave behind? Will people feel that your life was meaningful enough to imitate and pass down as an example to others? Are there people several generations from now who are connected to who you were?

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Ego and hubris often lead to superficial achievements and empty accolades. My dad has many roads and bridges named after him, but the people who see the signs do not honestly know him. His legacy is not plaques but the life lessons he shared with us. My grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, are the true heirs of his legacy.

Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

Leaving a legacy isn’t optional; you’re making one right now. The real question is: what kind of legacy are you creating? Is it something people who know you will pass on, or is it fleeting and shallow? Does it reflect Christ, or just worldly standards? The standards of the world are constantly changing and temporary. Worldly standards can be interpreted differently by each generation. Christ is unchanging and constant through time. Love, compassion, and grace are timeless.

Case in Point

Agur (Proverbs 30) claimed to be more brutish than any other human and lacked human understanding, but 3,000 years later, we are still learning from and passing on his wisdom. We know nothing about Agur the man; was he respected, did he work hard, or was he a good family man? But what we do know is his character and wisdom. That is the echo through eternity that we should all strive for.

Proverb 30:8-9, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”