The forgotten...

Ecclesiastes 1,2

I started this book written by King Solomon this morning and man is it depressing. Here's a guy who was granted wisdom (give me more Lord!) and was given all the other stuff too, money, power, fame, everything a man could want. All this was given to him by God. And yet, Solomon was miserable most of his life, at least that's the way it appears when you read this book.

If you don't really remember, Solomon is the guy who says, "everything is meaningless, there is nothing new under the son." He had more money, more land, more women, just plain MORE than anyone before or after him. The richest man in the world today would only have pocket change in relation to the wealth of Solomon (seriously, you have to read about his wealth!).

But there was one verse that stuck out to me this cool morning. It comes early in chapter one and says, "11 There is no remembrance of men of old,and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow."

I think this verse is important because of something I read just yesterday from my Mother. It was about her childhood when her father lost his job in the shipyards of California working for the government to build battleships. After they closed the shipyard (just hung a sign on the gate that said they were closed) the family moved to Oakland, OR where they lived for 28 years. Grandpa built the house they moved into and I still remember climbing the cherry trees out front. But this is not why I thought of this while reading this morning.

Mom said that there was a neighbor family (she was about 4) who invited her folks to church... and kept inviting them to church until they went. In her words her parents, "liked it" and kept going back. Her father and mother and two older siblings accepted Christ in that church and began a legacy of faith that continues today. My Mom went to Bible College in Idaho. She met my Dad (who's family were only moderate believers) and they married and Dad began to preach. They had 4 kids, two girls and two boys who are all active and involved in their churches and have children who believe. Four generations representing 39 people. 39 people who have shared their faith with hundreds of people.

So let me take a second to remember and thank that family who invited my grandparents to church and didn't give up until they came. Their faithfulness has touched many lives and will continue as the legacy of faith is passed down from generation to generation.

You want your life to count for something? You want to be remembered? The man of wisdom or wealth or power or strength who dies in his sin will not be long remembered. Their children will forget them soon enough. But the man of faith will leave a treasure to be continually uncovered by generations to come as they each discover the great gift they have been left. Faith. Life. A relationship with the creator of the universe. The hope of eternal life.

Maybe we ought to remember to share our faith, as someone did with us - or our ancestors and the change the course of those to come.