What Will Your Epitaph Say?

What Will Your Epitaph Say?

Upon the death of John and Abigail Adams of Revolutionary fame, their son, John Quincy, composed a beautiful tribute to his parents and had it permanently etched on their tomb stone. Among the glowing lines, were the following words:

"This House (his church) will bear witness to his piety;
This Town, his birth place, to his munificence;
History to his patriotism;
Posterity to the depth and compass of his mind."

Of his mother John Q. wrote: "In every relation of life a pattern of filial, conjugal, maternal and social virtue."

Every man who lives has sacred duties to his family, his church, his community, his nation and to those who come after him. That man is truly a benefactor of the human race who fulfills these duties in a positive, constructive way. In the long run, it matters little how rich, successful or famous he is if only he is true to these fundamental duties. He will be long remembered by his peers who survive him and those future generations who will reap the harvest of goodness he sowed in his life.

That woman who excels in family, marital, motherly and social virtues supercedes queens and divas both in worth and value. Her husband, her children and her neighbors can only admire and respect her (Prov. 31:28).

Growing up, most of us learned the value of these virtues. Tragically, many folks of the current generation have either forgotten them or were never taught them and we as a society are poorer for it. Let all who wear the name of Christ so live that similar words used when our children and neighbors remember us (Matt. 5:26).

Sincerely,

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