Human life is as short-lived as grass. It blossoms like a flower in the field. When the wind blows over the flower, it disappears, and there is no longer any sign of it. [Psalm 103:15-16 (GW)]

In reality, all a tombstone marks is a somewhat useless piece of real estate. What will we really leave behind when our days here end? What gift will we bequeath to the living? Lord, help us remember that what really matters won’t be how well we were liked but how much we loved. The number of people we knew won’t be as important as the number of people to whom we offered friendship. The amount of money we had won’t be of consequence, but how much we gave will. The extent of our knowledge will be forgotten, but what we taught will be remembered. What we owned will be of no significance, but how well we shared it will. Our memories will be gone, but others’ memories of us will remain. Guide us, O Lord, in our remaining days.

Epitaph, tombstone inscription in Shrewsbury, England

“For the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,
Do all the good you can,
To all the people you can,
In all the ways you can,
As long as ever you can.”