WHAT WILL THEY REMEMBER OF YOU by Robert Soto

WHAT WILL THEY REMEMBER OF YOU by Robert Soto

February 1, 2010

Ecclesiastes 9:5 "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten."

How many times have you stopped to think and wonder why we are here? I think of all of my ancestors who did not make it. Those whose families were wiped out by the advancements of this newfound movement that was called America. I was once asked by the last surviving member of my grandmother's family to find where her parents were buried. She said to me, "I would like to be next to them one more time before I die." I looked for years. I had only an idea of where they might have been buried. For years I looked and looked. I found cemeteries that had not been used in years. I found them on old farms, or in the middle of farm fields. I found them in state parks and in the middle of subdivisions.

I never found the place and eventually gave up. But with each cemetery that I found, I could not help but wonder about each person buried in that special plot of land which eventually became their final resting place. I wondered if all their dreams and hopes were buried with them. I wondered if they died fulfilled in life and if they had accomplished all they were meant to do in the short time they had an opportunity to make a difference in this world. I wondered what their stories were and, if a grave could speak, what would it tell me about their lives. Then I stopped and thought, "What will my life be like when I am dead and gone?" What will people remember about me and the things that I accomplished while I walked on this earth given to us by God the Creator. It was then that I was reminded of the words of Solomon when he said, "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten." As I walked away from the cemetery that day, I could not help but think about how others would remember me when I take that last breath on this earth. What will they remember of me, and will I accomplish the task that God the Creator created me to do? Or, will my name die when I die?

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church