In the Grieve With Hope support groups I facilitate we discuss how to remember our loved ones who have passed on. Some people fear their loved ones will be forgotten if they learn to live without them.

One of the steps we walk through in the grief process is learning how to perpetuate the memory of a loved one through a living memorial. I usually begin asking the group some questions about what impact their loved one has had on them, and what they would like to do to honor that influence.

God has created us in such a way that we are all intertwined. God uses even the tiniest details in others’ lives to finish the good work he has begun in us. Sometimes he uses a faithful grandmother or aunt. Sometimes he uses a Sunday school teacher or a little child. Sometimes he uses someone who is hard to get along with—or even an enemy! We may not fully understand how he uses others in our lives until we see the completion of his work in Heaven.

We build upon the lives of those who have gone before us and we would do well to honor them. God knew what he was doing when he put those people in our lives.

God has a purpose for us in our nation, town, family, church, and job. He sees the impact we have on the lives of others.

On Memorial Day we often stop to remember those who have gone before us and made a difference in our lives. We look for ways to honor them that last long after the flowers have faded.

Dearly loved family members, saints in the local church, leaders in the Christian community, and seemingly inconspicuous people can all impact our lives. They not only live on in the presence of God away from this earth, they live on in our hearts.

Let’s thank God for those he placed in our lives to help mold us. And let’s emulate the positive qualities we saw in them.

Sadly, some leave almost nothing good to emulate. Some of the saddest sentences in the Bible are found in Kings and Chronicles where the history of Israel’s kings are recorded. In several cases, nothing worthwhile could be found to say. In 1 Kings 16:30, it is said at the end of Ahab’s life, “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him” (New King James Version). What a sad memorial! Many kings listed carried on the evil of their ancestors.

In contrast, Hebrews 11 lists those whose memorial of faith continues to inspire thousands today to live with more faith in God.

It is up to us to choose which traits to carry on. I always admired the way my grandmother opened her home and her heart to encourage her large family. I have purposely chosen to carry on her legacy with my family members. My first husband died at a young age, yet I carry on his desire for a personal relationship with God—no matter what trials life brings. My dad left me with a lasting passion and awe for God’s beautiful creation. I have found myself following King David’s lead by sharing honest emotions with God in psalms. Many others have been a part of my life and I have chosen some of the best parts I’ve seen in others to carry on and make a part of my own life.

What will others want to carry on from you? Memorial Day is not only a time to remember those who have gone on before; it is also a time to take another look at our time on earth and how we are spending it.

Only God knows when your life on this planet will be over. It can happen at any time. If your life were to be summed up in a sentence, what would be said? If you were to die today, would others want to carry on what they saw in you? Is your life built upon the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ? Has your life left a legacy for the Lord?

This Memorial Day, why not do more than honor those who have gone on before who have made a difference in your life? Why not honor them by carrying on some of their positive attributes in your own life?

Make sure you’re living in a way others will want to imitate. How do you hope to be remembered? |L