I was reading the Bible this morning about Rahab, a prostitute who drastically changed her life by saving the lives of two spies when they came to check out Jericho before Israel conquered it. She understand that their God was far mightier than the gods her people served and knew they would be overcome. She asked the spies to save her family when they returned and then let them out a window with a scarlet cord so they could escape from the city. They promised anyone in her home would be spared as long as that scarlet cord was in the window. And so it was done (see Joshua 2). Jewish tradition says she went on to marry one of the spies, and we know she’s listed as the great-grandmother of King David (Matthew 1:5). Her name is even listed in what we think of as the “hall of fame of the faithful” in Hebrews 11:31.

As I pondered Rahab’s story, I thought how her life suddenly had been totally reversed – from prostitute to a protector of God’s people; what tremendous consequences that had not only for her and her family but then for the nation of Israel as a whole. It made me think of possibilities of change for me and for you also. We’re moral people and probably believers in Jesus Christ as our Savior; we consider ourselves ‘good people.’ But yes, we can change too. As I grow older, I keep finding myself telling God, “I want to live the rest of my life to honor you, however that looks.” Now that’s been a goal for many years, but I find it more important the longer I live. When our hair turns white, we know that whatever time we have left is vital if we’re going to make our lives count for eternity.

While I’m not ashamed of my past, I want my future to be even better, counting more for Jesus than ever before. I’m not content to simply relax in my recliner and let the days and years drift by. No, life must be meaningful and will be most so if what I do benefits God’s Kingdom rather than my own. Yes, I enjoy and am proud to be a good wife, mother and grandmother, but that’s not enough. I want my life to count to more than my own family when I’m gone. I want a spiritual legacy that invests in other people’s lives. While I’m not sure what all that entails and how it will come about, I want to be a part of the team that reaches into eternity and pulls down help for those who need comfort and peace. I want to share the love of God our Father and the Friend we have in Jesus with those who don’t know Him. How precious it is to know you are wrapped in God’s huge arms of love! Even on days when our world crumbles around us, we are still wrapped in Father’s loving arms. Even on days we act like a spoiled kid, they are still there when we least deserve them.  That’s the story the world needs to hear.

John 3:16-18 reminds us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Let’s look for ways we can spread this Good News to others and be an example of the love that Jesus came to bring to the whole world, if they would only accept Him. Let’s make our lives count for eternity, rather than just having “a good life” here on earth.

   A good character is the best tombstone. 

     Those who loved you and were helped by you

will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered.

Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

~Charles H. Spurgeon