I read something the other week that lept off the page at me. It was one of those innocuous phrases that normally I wouldn’t notice – perhaps you wouldn’t notice either. It was in the midst of a narrative on one of the kings of Judah.
You know those passages in the Old Testament that go through the life of a king? He was a good king, or he was a bad king. He walked with the Lord, or he didn’t. The life of a man is often summed up in a few verses.
How will my life be summed up? How will your life be summed up? Will it be said of you that you walked with the Lord, or you didn’t?
I was reading about Jehoram. He was not a good king of Judah. He did not walk with the Lord. He didn’t honor God. It was the phrase that wrapped up the section of scripture recounting his life that caught my attention:
“He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tomb of the kings.”
“He passed away to no one’s regret” – ouch.
In other words, it didn’t really matter that he died. No one really cared. Perhaps it was to many people’s relief that he passed away. “Whew, thank God he is gone. He was a terrible leader, and a horrible man.” Whatever the case, it appears he left a negative legacy. No one was sad he died.
For the next number of days that phrase kept rolling over and over in my mind – “He passed away to no one’s regret.”…
Lord, what are you trying to say to me through this? “…to no one’s regret…”
Clearly none of us wants to end our days with this kind of epitaph. However, the outcome of our lives in contingent on how we are living today. The choices we make today create the outcomes of tomorrow. Sure, the people I love and are close to me I trust will regret my passing. But am I spending myself for the benefit of others every day? Do I have a positive impact on the people I encounter on a daily basis?
How about the airline ticket agent who was struggling with my boarding passes because of a glitch in their system? Did my demeanor brighten her day, or add to her grief? How about the gas station attendant who had to deal with my impatience when the $1 tire inflation machine ran out of time before I finished inflating my tires?
How about the customer service agent with my web hosting company who spoke with me, after I had been on hold for 23 minutes, to deal with the lack of spam service I’m receiving that allows 150 junk emails into my inbox? Would he regret my passing?
And what I mean by that is not that any of these people would regret my death, but would they be glad that they don’t have to deal with me anymore? Or, even though I have a valid complaint in regard to the services I am paying for, am I communicating my displeasure with respect, dignity, kindness and patience? Do I treat everyday people I encounter with love, grace, patience, kindness and dignity? Or do they not really matter to me so I tend to be impatient and act with a sense of entitlement?
Sadly, I think I often act as a self-consumed consumer and do not treat everyday service people in a Christ-like fashion. I can be a little impatient and curt sometimes when I don’t feel like I am being served well. Here’s a thought: would I treat everyday people I encounter, especially those who serve me at a retail level, any differently if I had a tattoo on my forehead that said, “I am a Jesus follower.”?
Sadly, I think I would.
May we treat everyone in life with the same degree of love, patience, kindness, dignity and grace. Perhaps even those we encounter occasionally would then regret the days we do not interact, because when we do we demonstrate the heart of God to them.
May we never pass to no one’s regret.
2 Chronicles 21:20
“Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”
Colossians 4:5, 6 (The Message)
“Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”