REMEMBRANCE

Most of the time, when we hear or talk about remembrance, the first thing that comes to our mind is death. For we believe that it is only the dead that are remembered. This is because some of the time when we pick our newspapers we are faced with announcements of obituaries and remembrance of some loved ones who had gone to the great beyond.

However, the remembrance to be examined here is not only about the dead but even the living; that is you and I. Psalm 112:6 says, "The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." The word, everlasting means eternal or endless, which means that no good work of the righteous will ever be forgotten. Even when he or she is dead, the good deeds of that fellow will be remembered not only here on earth but even in heaven.

While here on earth, we do not have to tell people to remember us. The works of our hands, our behaviours and the way we live our lives will determine whether we'll be remembered for good or evil. But one thing that is very certain is that; we'll all be remembered for one thing or the other when we are alive or gone to the great beyond.

Today, when I see people with their mobile phones, I remember Graham Bell, the man who started it all. According to one account on this man, Mr. Bell invented the telephone by accident. He was said to be trying to make an apparatus with which to help deaf people hear and in the process ended up inventing the telephone. From that time, many people have improved on this box to the extent that today we have a phone that can easily be tucked in our pockets or handbags. Can history ever forget that man? No sir. I must confess that the invention of telephone has done much good than evil. We cannot actually quantify the advantages of telephone in any sense. One man however started it all. The history he made affected not only his generation but even generations unborn.

In this generation, anytime we mention Bill Gate, the next thing that comes to our mind is Computer. Even generations unborn will live to remember Gate’s efforts to improve the lot of humanity and make life more comfortable. At this juncture, the question that comes to mind is what you and I will be remembered for, while on earth and when we are no more.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God was established in 1952. The church has really grown in all respects; physically, spiritually and in all other areas. One unique thing is that whenever the history of this church is written, there is always a reference to Reverend Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, the man who started it all. Even though, he is no more, the work of his hand is very much alive. He paid the price to make sure that millions will be blessed. Over the years, that little seed planted in a small bungalow in Lagos Mainland, has continued to grow and he is being remembered for good.

What record does history have for you and me? What are we going to be remembered for as youths? What are we doing with our strength which is our glory? One day, a woman found herself in a cemetery and she read one epitaph, which touched her. The children of a deceased woman wrote. "Mum, you were the Sunshine in our lives." How many mothers or stepmothers will their children remember and declare that they put sunshine in their lives. As a parent what will your children remember you for; good or bad?

The Bible says, when the wicked perish the city rejoices. This is because the wicked has not affected his or her generation positively so when he/she dies people rejoice because his death simply means good riddance to bad rubbish but the case of the righteous is different. The Bible says precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Some years ago, a woman died in a house and the whole street immediately turned to sorrow street. According to reports, it was said that the woman was a lover of children. She preached the gospel of salvation to them and also met their material needs. It was reported that no child could escape her preaching programmes even if the child came visiting. She was a blessing and when she died, she was remembered for her good deeds. Will our household remember us for good as dutiful children, siblings, relatives? Not to talk of our neighbours, and even generations yet unborn.

Memory is the power of retaining and reproducing mental or sensory impression. It also means to keep in mind. So, people remember us for what we do and the way we live our lives. History will always have a record of our good or evil deeds and it is a personal thing. As an individual, we are the ones to decide where we want history to place us.

The other day, I went to a lady's house and the woman she was staying  with said she should leave her house because she was of no use to her. The woman said, “If she leaves my house, I will not miss her.” I felt bad, that means the lady does not have a positive impact on the family. So, what would she be remembered for? We must strive to impact people we meet, work with or even live with positively. If we impact them positively for good then we'll bring joy to a lot of people but if it is otherwise then we'll probably have no place in the book of records.

As we move on this earth as strangers and pilgrims, what shall we be remembered for? A blessing or…

Remembrance is the fourth chapter of my book, YOUNG AND CONFIDENT, IMPACT 001. You can get the book to read more...