Exactly! What is in a name? Why is a person’s name so important to them? I have noticed that people get really upset if you don’t spell their name correctly. Yet, if one mispronounces a name, it is not such a big deal. I attended a funeral for a well-known person in our community. The church service was packed to capacity and overflowing. Everybody was dressed in their best outfits, as befitting the occasion. While speechmaker after speechmaker credited the deceased for his selfless contribution to society, adding their fond memories and often humorous anecdotes, the mood was very somber. People were thinking of their own mortality.
King Solomon was seen as the wisest man in the Bible. He said it is better to attend a funeral than to attend a banquet because that is where the soul benefits most. When we leave this earth, people will not remember how big a house we lived in or what a flashy car we drove. They will remember us by the way we lived. Did we leave a good name or a bad name? They will do a three second assessment on our entire life and conclude, ‘He was good guy,’ or ‘What a mean man,’ or ‘What a vain person’.
What do people say about the name you leave behind? Many people spend so much time and energy investing in earthly treasure at the expense of human love and compassion. Do they not realize that when they die they take absolutely nothing of that with them? Ecclesiastes 7:1 (KJV) says, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” So, take the three second challenge and write down what you think people will say about you when you leave this world. ◊
Linda Pearl
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