I am required to attend chapel three times a week at my college. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:30 in the morning we file in and find a seat in the arena. Sometimes I sit with friends. Sometimes I sit alone. Some days the speaker is mostly there to tell us information about school and upcoming events.
But some days we get a speaker who tells us something awesome. This week was one of those times.
Our speaker got up after the worship songs and introduced himself. He said he wanted us to think about something. He said, after we have died, people are going to talk about us. He said they will be standing around some years after I am gone and my name will come up in a conversation. And someone will say something to the effect of, "Remember Rachael? She was..." And more than likely we will only get once sentence that describes us before the conversation moves on to other things. One sentence that describes our lives.
Just one.
My mind was reeling. What would people say about me? Would they say I was smart? Kind? Happy? Would they say I beat cancer? That I went to college to be a teacher? That I loved to read? But the better question was:
What did I want them to say about me?
See, I cannot really control what they said about me after I die, not really. But I can make something in my life more apparent than the others. Make my life sentence, because I may just get one, count.
I don't know just what I want my sentence to be, but I made a list of things that I want people to remember me by.
1. I want to be remembered for loving Jesus with all my being. Not just be a person who talked the talk. I want people to say, "Remember her? She really loved Jesus."
2. I want to be remembered for my compassion to others. Someone who goes out of her way to help and aid others in life. Even if that means crossing oceans. I want people to say, "Remember her? She was a humanitarian."
3. I want to be remembered for the girl who was scared to, but did it anyway. The girl who cried herself to sleep at night because she was so afraid to do something, only to do it the next day. I want people to say, "Remember her? She faced her fears."
4. I want to be remembered for having a full life. I don't want people to say I never took risks or never did anything new. I want people to say, "Remember her? She loved adventure and lived her life."
5. And lastly, I want to be remembered for being beautiful because of, not despite, my scars. I want people to say, "Remember her? Her past didn't design her; it transformed her."
What will your life sentence be?
-Rachael
