The SIGNIFICANCE of how we are remembered
Erin’s out of town tonight at a meeting for an upcoming Emmaus weekend. I took advantage of having the house to myself - I ate pizza and watched a guy flick.
Have you ever seen “We Are Marshall”? It’s the Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox movie about the 1970-71 Marshall Football Teams. I like to think that I’m a tough guy, but I started getting a little misty about 15 minutes into the movie. By the end, I had pulled the Kleenex box onto the couch with me. Go ahead and make fun, Erin would if she was here, but it was a great movie.
In case you haven’t seen it and aren’t up on your early 70’s football history, the Marshall football team of 1970 was killed in a plane crash, with the exception of a small handful and one coach. In ‘71, it was up for debate as to whether or not they should suspend the football program, but through hard work, dedication, and an inventive, quirky new coach (Jack Lengyel) the program was rebuilt and a university and city began healing.
The first coach, Rick Tolley, finished his last game and told his players that nobody would remember them by the way they played, but by how many wins they had. By the end of the story, that speech had been turned on it’s head and the new coach motivated his young team to play with heart because they WOULD be rememebered by how they played. Pretty evident, since they made a movie about a team that had only two wins in a season!
Which statement holds most true in life? Sure, I remember more about the 1980 UGA team even though I was an infant than I do about the 1990 team because of the number of games won. But who are the people I remember in life? I remember my grandfather as my hero because of the way he lived and the generosity that he exemplified. I remember my college history teacher because of the investment he made in my education. I remember my 6th grade math teacher because of her gentleness in putting up with wild 6th grade boys.
I’ve done plenty of funerals to know that people aren’t remembered in the end by how much money they made or how many homes they owned. People are remembered by the way they “played.” Isn’t this what Jesus taught? Isn’t this why he had so many run ins with the Pharisees?
We are remembered by the way we interact with others and the way we impact their lives, for better or worse. My goal in life is not necessarily to be remembered - when I’m gone I won’t care if anybody remembers me! My concern now is am I doing anything worth remembering? I’ll never throw a game-winning touchdown; I’ll probably never be a Billy Graham; I may never lead a congregation from the margins to greatness, but I can still make a SIGNIFICANT impact in the lives of others.
How I raise my son, how I love my wife, how I pour my heart out to my people and listen as they pour theirs out to me, how I’m honest in my dealings, and generous in my giving, how I’m calm in my encounters, earnest in my prayers, and dedicated in my work will be how I am remembered.
