“…To No One’s Regret”
Power, notoriety, and influence do not necessarily translate into respect, honor, and love. This can be seen in the inspired information we have concerning a man who had all of the former and none of the latter.
His name was Jehoram. During his life, he held a position of great authority. He was the king of Judah for eight years. You can read some information about him and his reign in 2 Chronicles 21. That information ends with these words:
He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed to no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chron. 21:20, ESV, emphasis added)
My purpose here is not to delve into a study of Old Testament history. Our interest here is not to go into (gruesome) details about the manner of his death.
What that verse has made me do and what I hope it will encourage all of us to do is to look into the mirror. Better yet, in the words of scripture, “Examine yourselves…” (2 Cor. 13:5).
Will there be any regrets when I die? Will there be any when you die?
Will my wife miss my voice, my company, and/or my embrace? Will she only miss the paycheck I faithfully brought home each week or the interesting things we bought or did together? Will she find that they can have those things and do those things just as well without me? Will I be no more to her than whatever inheritance and/or insurance policy I leave behind? Will she remember and miss a man who demonstrated the kind of love Paul writes about in Ephesians 5:25?
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her (ESV).
What about my children and grandchildren? Will they only be proud of whatever success I’ve had in my chosen career? Will I have been a stranger to them during my life? Will they have any memories of me other than watching me as I left the house and came home from whatever that job was that I had?
Will they know that their dad loved them more than he could ever express? Will they remember sacrifices of time, energy, and financial resources that were made because of them? Will they remember a man who took seriously his duty in providing spiritual instruction and training to them?
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4, ESV)
Will any of my church family, my neighbors, and my friends miss me? Will they notice that I’m gone? Will they regret that I’m gone? In Matthew 5:13, the Lord refers to those who are truly His followers as “the salt of the earth.” Will people who knew me remember me in that way? Will they remember me as one who “added flavor” to the lives of those with whom I came into contact or as one who was good at “rubbing salt into wounds?”
Maybe another passage would be instructive as each of considers how we are to live our lives and what kind of legacy we will be leaving:
The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away…
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom
(Psalm 90:10, 12, ESV).
Surely none of us would want people to spend the rest of their lives in mourning once we are gone. If we truly love people, it seems to me that we would want them to “go on with their lives.”
At the same time, I pray that it could never be said about any of us that he/she “…departed to no one’s regret.”
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