A Lasting Memory

The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." Proverbs 10:7

That was the passage this week for my Men's LIFE Group that meets in Grayson on Thursday mornings. We had a great discussion, and the passage spoke to me so much I keep thinking about it. I think the first thing we think about is the memory we'll leave behind when we're dead and gone. That's really important. If we could just 'get' what it meant to live with the end in mind instead of the here and now, we'd all leave a much better legacy. But people have memories of us now, too. People we have worked with, waitresses who have served us, cashiers that have scanned our Doritos, friends we had in high school, someone we worked out beside at the gym, even our kids before they got on the bus this morning. We have tons of short memories about what we experienced when we were with people. And they have a memory of us.

Are we living in such a way that THAT memory is a blessing? Or do curses fill their mouths when they think of our name? I don't want my name to be rot in the thoughts of those I encounter. I want my name to bring a smile to their face, not because of anything great about me, but because they felt the love of Christ in my presence. The memory will last much longer than the conversation and even our relationships. This passage from God is simply a reminder that how we interact with others matters deeply. We are leaving behind a legacy. We are giving some kind of meaning to our name. Make a good legacy. Make it a strong name. Make it a memory of someone who was righteous and sold-out to Jesus.